Last Words
by olimakiella
Summary: He told him he hated him, just before disaster struck. Now he has to make sure it's not the last thing he ever gets to say. COMPLETE
1. Part I

**Title:** Last Words Part I  
**Author:** olimakiella  
**Rating:** I'll give it an R for now.  
**Pairing:**H/D  
**Warnings:** This is H/D slash. No likey no readey!  
**Disclaimer:**This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. It's pointless but I also do not own any part of the London Underground. especially the Circle Line.  
**Summary:** _He told him he hated him, just before disaster struck. Now he has to make sure it's not he last thing he ever gets to say._  
**Author's Notes:**This was actually written before the attack on the Underground that July and I hadn't wanted to upload it, stupidly thinking for a while that me writing it was like a bad omen, but then I submitted it as a gift fic for a journal friend of mine and it's a great hit on the site so I uploaded it here too. Hope you enjoy and all that... It has seven parts altogether.

**Part I**

"That is beside the point and you _know_ it," Draco said angrily into his phone as he passed the muggles on the street. He barely touched them now, he was proud to point out. Where before he would walk through the London streets packed with people and get hit left right and centre, now he could walk in time with them and weave in and out without being noticed at all. He made it to the Underground station without fault and paid for a ticket on autopilot, weaving through everyone to slip his ticket into the machine. He walked through the barrier before it closed again, snatching his ticket as he did so and only stopped walking when he hit the escalator. If he'd stopped to think about what he was doing he'd be proud of himself. Or, at least, he would be proud right now, if his boyfriend wasn't being such an idiot. "You know, I had thought that when you invited me to lunch that you were preparing yourself to apologise to me. I see that's too much to ask of _Your Highness_," he said sarcastically as he stepped off the escalator and located his train line.

"_Draco I'm not the one who – wait, what? I didn't invite you anywhere."_

Draco rolled his eyes and switched ears as he stood waiting for the train in the crowd. The phone was breaking up as it is and he couldn't hear him very well. "Yes you did, Potter, I'm on my way now." He looked up when the tell tale breeze from the tunnel blew through the station. The train appeared seconds later.

"_No I didn't. And I wouldn't, not to apologise anyway. I have nothing to apologise for. Why don't you just listen to me when I'm talking?"_

"Because I'm not a trained animal, Potter," he answered boarding the train. "Contrary to popular belief I _don't do everything_ you say. Nor do I like to. Why you invited me-"

"_I didn't invite you_anywhere._"_

Draco huffed in annoyance and turned away from the woman who was staring at him, purposefully lowering his voice he answered with a frustrated, "Yes, you did. I'm on my way to you now." He hated when people eavesdropped.

"_No I didn't, god I hate it when you do this."_

Draco frowned. He couldn't have heard that right. The static on his phone from the lack of reception was terrible. It sounded like Harry had said 'I – hate – you.'

He took the phone away from his ear and stared at it briefly before he answered, "What? You hate me?" he said not bothering to hide his disbelief. He didn't hear much of the answer but the frustrated sigh was enough.

At least until, _"Well I'm beginning to yes,"_ cut through the static to his ears as the train jerked forward. _"Draco, go home. I'll see you there."_

Draco still had a look of incredulity on his face. Incredulity and hurt. "No, don't bother doing me any favours, Potter. I won't be there." He hung up and shoved the phone in his pocket. He knew it was probably pointless saying that as the reception had probably cut out his retort but he couldn't just keep it silent. He rested his head against the pole he was holding onto before looking outside the window of the moving train. _Great I'll have to go back now,_he thought to himself squashing down the hurt from Harry's words_._He then realised he was in a moving train with no recollection to how he got on. He frowned looking for the line map above the window. He raised his eyebrows before a brief smile lit up his face. He was on the right line too. A small laugh of pride escaped him.

He didn't have much time to bask in it however as suddenly a series of loud cracks sounded in the train compartment and seconds later the last three compartments exploded and everything went dark.

"Pansy come on we're going to miss the train!" Blaise said walking as fast as he could through the throng of people. It didn't help that Pansy had on a pair of heels she couldn't possibly run in. Taking them off was like a sacrilege so he didn't even mention it. They stopped at the crossing just across from the Underground station. There was a space in the cars but he didn't dare try to cross then, Pansy could hardly walk as it was.

They didn't pay any attention to the people that did cross immediately in the space and therefore missed their school friend hurrying along with the rest of them engrossed in his own heated conversation on his mobile phone.

Frustrated with her three month fiancé, Pansy wrenched her wrist free. "Blaise, stop with the pulling, alright? I want to make a good impression with your parents. Turning up soaked with sweat and broken shoes does not help!" She smoothed down her hair and straightened her clothes walking as fast as her own pace could handle when the light turned green. They made their way into the station bought tickets and scurried through the barriers. Pansy had almost been pushed back but made it in time before they snapped shut on her. They only rested for the ride down the escalators to catch their breath.

"Which line is it? Do you know?" she asked him as they stopped in front of the huge map on the wall.

"Um, give me a sec." Blaise frowned locating their station and line colour on the multicoloured map. "Oh! Yeah, this one. It's that restaurant near the Ministry right?"

"Yeah I think that's what they said in their note."

Blaise nodded once in decision. "Ok then, it's this one," he said tracing the coloured line and then looking around for directions. "This way," he said spotting the name above a tunnel where dozens of people were walking. They joined the mass and walked onto the platform.

"The train's already there!" Pansy said worriedly. She didn't want to miss it. This would be only the second time she'd met them after their engagement and she knew that if they were late it would have been her fault. Though knowing Blaise he would've taken the blame somehow. They managed to find a spot on the train standing up and held on as it started to move moments after they got on. Pansy breathed a sigh of relief and leaned on him. "Thank Merlin for small mercies."

He laughed and allowed her to rest on him as he looked up at the line map counting about four stations before they'd have to get off.

Seconds later a series of loud cracks filled the air in their compartment and a few compartments behind theirs exploded. The train jerked forward rapidly and he fell taking Pansy with him.

Then there was silence and darkness.

Harry hung up and slammed his mobile phone down on his desk. He then proceeded to bang his head on his desk in succession. He hadn't meant to say that. He'd never think of saying that. Well perhaps in school but those days were long over.

There was a sense of dread echoing around him. A sense that he'd cocked up royally. "Oh god. I'm such an idiot." He hit his head a few more times just to make sure the message stuck.

He had heard what Draco had said. Tone of voice aside, it was clear enough through the bad reception. He wouldn't be home when Harry got in. He'd probably gone back to his parents' house. God knows Harry'd had to prise him from there before. Some major begging was in order. And he didn't have the energy for it.

"Oh fuck it, let him stay there." He covered his face with his hands, leaned forward with his elbows on his desk and sighed feeling his hands warm with his breath. He closed his eyes in an effort to get rid of the head ache forming in his left temple. The next few days were going to be hell.

Someone knocked on his door.

He sighed again but didn't move. "What," he said, muffled but loud.

The door opened and Ron came in with a cup of coffee. "I came round before but I heard an argument so I went straight for this." He held up the cup putting it on the table carefully. Harry turned at the smell and went after it as if his life depended on it saying something that sounded like '_lifesaver_' but the cup was in the way. Ron just grinned. "Yeah I thought you'd like that." He sat down. "Now start at the beginning." He waited.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You do not want to hear this," he said after swallowing and rested his head once more on his hand warming the other with his cup.

Ron raised an eyebrow. Something Harry wished he could do. "And why is that?"

Harry let his head fall forward again and groaned. "Because every time I tell someone, I end up figuring out the problem and I'm usually the one in the wrong." He sighed. "I don't want to be wrong this time," he whined.

Ron sat forward. "Harry, you do know that I'm not that big a fan of Malfoy, right?"

"No, but you're a humungous fan of Hermione and she's a fan of _logic_. Logic gets me into trouble because you," he pointed, "start seeing her view and then I'm the only one with my view because _no one_hates logic like I do," he rambled giving the word 'logic' a dirty look.

Ron frowned on his chair, his elbows resting on his thighs and his fingers steeped. He thought over what Harry had just said and when he reaffirmed that no, it didn't make sense, he said, "Eh? Mate you're completely mental. I'm a fan of logic?"

Harry raised his head and looked at Ron with an expression that bordered on, '_Well, duh._' "You're a chess player, Ron. No one likes logic more than a chess player." He shook his head. "Doesn't matter anyway. None of it matters 'cos he's gone back to his parents."

Ron raised both his eyebrows this time. "_Again?"_

Harry narrowed his eyes as he glared at his cup. "Yes, _again._ I have great reason to believe it as he said he wouldn't be home when I got back." He gulped down some more coffee.

"Oh Harry, mate. I'm-"

Just then Hermione burst in through the door. "Harry! Harry, come quickly." She then ran off.

The urgency in her tone made both Harry and Ron rush after her. They followed her through numerous corridors before they got to a conference room. Well, they called it a conference room. Really all it had in it were a bunch of chairs and a television. It was something Hermione had brought up to the Minister a few years back just out of school when they all joined the Ministry after the war. She had gone to him arguing that looking through newspapers was not a very efficient way of spotting magical activity. Getting a television, even if they could only manage to power it by magic, would be a good way to spot them immediately if they watched the news. The Minister had said no. At first. Her tenacity could do that to a man. It had proven to be effective more than once.

Now it seemed to be doing so again. On the screen housed a running image of the ITN news. Mr. MacDonald holding a very sombre expression as he described the commotion occurring at the inset beside him.

"..._just moments ago in a London Underground train station. The train in question having just__left Embankment on the Circle Line that circles Central London. There is no saying who caused these attacks but authorities have heard from those who made it to the surface that they heard various loud cracking sounds before the train, which had just left the station and entered the tunnel, exploded…_"

The doors to the room burst open suddenly and six people entered causing Hermione to pause in her explanation that the loud cracks could very well be people apparating and they should look into it. Harry had been listening to her but the intrusion caused him to halt in his tracks.

Draco's parents were at the forefront.

He rolled his eyes heavenward. As if this couldn't get any worse. The last thing he needed was another 'you're not good enough for _my_ son' lecture - especially from Narcissa, the woman who hated him with a passion bordering on fetish. He swore she got off on telling him how unworthy he was for Draco. she never failed to rub it in his face whenever Draco got upset.

As they entered the room they caught sight of him and made a beeline for him before he could get away. Harry mulled over making a run for the door but decided against it as the four people behind the Malfoys were following them. He stayed put.

"_Where_ is my son?" Narcissa began heatedly. She stood stock still and stared right at him. He had always wondered how someone shorter than him could manage to look down their noses at the same time. Mentally shrugging it off, he looked right back at her. At least now he knew where Draco got it from. Then he frowned. He had thought Draco would be in her arms pouting by now. Knowing when to speak though, he settled with, "I don't know, I thought he'd be with you," before she ripped off his head for insolence.

Narcissa looked about ready to jump him but Lucius held her back by putting an arm out to stop her. His calm was a grave contrast to her anger and Harry found it just as disconcerting as they were sure to be purposefully making it. "Why would he be with us, Potter?"

"Because when I spoke to him earlier, he said he wouldn't be home when I got there. I just assumed he would be with you by now. You haven't seen him?" A small spoke of worry hinted in his mind but it was dampened when he realised Draco might have just gone back to pack first.

Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "No we haven't seen him. He spoke to us before he left your house for lunch. He said you'd invited him somewhere, probably to apologise for your previous behaviour." She sniffed disdainfully. "I told him not to hold his breath."

Harry's frown was now one of incredulity. "Why do you all keep saying that, I didn't _invite_ him anywhere. We're not even _talking_ for Christ's sake!"

"Well he said you invited him to lunch in a note you left this morning," Lucius said, the epitome of coolness.

Narcissa looked disdainfully at the office turning her nose at the occupants of the floor. "Yes," she said eyeing one particularly tasteless dresser, "couldn't even stay for a talk with his own _mother_ because he had to catch one of those dreadful trains he loves so much." Her eyes centred on him once more and Harry could almost feel the sharp edge of a blade cut through his skin.

_Trains?_ If Draco was somehow coming to meet him at the Ministry for lunch he wouldn't be able to get here now because the Circle Line was the main line people used to get to Victoria. Because of the explosion, all lines along and surrounding would be closed.

Harry, suddenly, felt ice cold.


	2. Part II

**Title:** Last Words Part II  
**Author:** olimakiella  
**Rating:** I'll give it an R for now.  
**Pairing: **H/D  
**Warnings:** This is H/D slash. No likey no readey!  
**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. It's pointless but I also do not own any part of the London Underground. especially the Circle Line.  
**Summary:** _He told him he hated him, just before disaster struck. Now he has to make sure it's not he last thing he ever gets to say._  
**Author's Notes: I have begun joining chapters so this has between 8 and 10 parts now. I haven't decided**.

**Part II**

"No, no… no it can't be." He turned back to the television in the room, where he faintly heard the newscasters discussing that the last train compartments were the ones to explode and how people couldn't call for help because of the fact they were underground. At that Harry couldn't help but remember the bad reception on the phone he had dismissed at the time. Now it all made sense that Draco would have been going for the train when he called Harry to find out where he was supposed to meet him. An argument had ensued and Harry now recognised the voice Draco had put on and had just put the fact that he had lowered his voice down to Draco being angry. Now he knew it was because he was surrounded by people he didn't want to hear him.

He never did like eavesdroppers.

"Oh god," he said looking at the screen and the people being led out in stretchers and covered in blood. He felt his stomach turn as he imagined one of them being Draco. "Oh god." He dismissed people calling him as he ran back to his office to get his coat. He was almost to the elevator when someone stepped into his way. "Move!" he said heatedly but stopped when he realised he was speaking to Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius tilted his head and Harry could have sworn he was looking at his boyfriend. "Where exactly do you think you're going?"

Harry took a second to answer. "He's going to the train station that just blew up in London," they heard and both turned to face Hermione. "They won't let you in, Harry. We're assembling a team to apparate down there now to see if we can deal with it before the muggle authorities get there."

Harry nodded. "I'm going with them then."

Hermione shook her head. "No Harry. You can't."

He felt hot with anger. "Why the hell not," he said advancing on her.

Hermione didn't even flinch. "Because you're too involved and we don't want you making rash decisions. Good Auror or not, you're not thinking straight. You don't even know if Draco got _on_ the train. He could be outside the station. He could have decided not to go after all and walked straight out. You would be causing unnecessary stress on people who want to get the job done." She stared him in the eye. "These people are muggles Harry, _you_ know them and _I_ know them and we _both_ know that if they see something out of the ordinary they dig and dig and _dig_." She grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him closer. He could see she was angry now. "We don't want them digging, Harry. You know what happened the last time something like that happened."

He did know. A wizard used magic in the muggle world once to help them and all they did was search for where he went after he disappeared. When they found him, the joy of a hero was replaced with fear for why he was hiding and suspicions and hate took over. Fortunately, the Aurors were able to set him and his family up with a new place to live. That was two years ago, and Neville was still in hiding.

He sighed. That was trouble that was still going on. "Alright, fine. I'll stay."

She let him go and smoothed down his shirt. "Good. I'll go and get them briefed then." She left them and walked off.

"Potter." He closed his eyes and sighed again. He had almost forgotten they were there.

Almost.

When Harry turned however, he realised it was not one of the Malfoys that had called him. He glanced at the two other pairs of people who had come in with his… well thank god they weren't in-laws. He let out a breath and then gestured for them to follow him. He walked slowly to his office, worry and anxiety weighing down his footsteps. _What if Draco really was on the train?_ Passed through his mind. _The last thing I said was that I hated him._ He closed his eyes and passed a hand over his face as he turned into his office. He couldn't handle thoughts like that. "Please have a seat," he said politely to them. Which just went to show how preoccupied his mind was.

He sat heavily and looked at them all, his eyes stalling on the couples he couldn't name when Ron came in. Leaning back into his chair he said, "Yes?" he said not knowing how to address them and yet having the feeling he should because they looked _awfully_ familiar.

Lucius seemed to know what he was thinking and turned to introduce them, the dark-skinned couple first. "Potter, meet the Zabinis. This is Lawren and Nola." He pointed in turn to them and they nodded. "Ren, Nola, meet Harry Potter." Lawren shook his hand.

"Pleasure, Mr. Potter." His wife didn't say anything she just smiled so Harry put it down as her way of greeting people.

Lucius shook him out of his thoughts as he gestured to the other pair. "And these are the Parkinsons. Leonard and Natalia." The Parkinsons did the same form of greeting so his suspicions were met. "They are here for what now seems to be the same reason as ours."

Harry frowned at that and that was when Nola and Natalia both gave him two slips of paper. He took them both looking at them all before reading what was on them. It was the same sort of note each from Blaise and Pansy.

_Hey mum,_

_ We may be a bit late to lunch to discuss wedding plans with you. We'll have to take the train like you suggested in order to get there for twelve but I woke up a bit late (I know I should have set my alarm like you taught me but I forgot, okay) and you can expect us no later than twelve-thirty. I promise._

_ Blaise._

The second note was basically the same except Pansy had said 'something came up.' Harry withheld a snort. With their track record he was sure something had 'come up' but he had no inclination at all to mention _that_ to their parents. He looked up to say, '_and?_' but stopped when he saw the look of distress on their mothers' faces. "What's wrong?" he said, his Gryffindor chivalry kicking in automatically. He hated seeing women cry.

"We didn't send them any invitation," Nola answered. He hand surreptitiously dabbing her eyes with a tissue

"And we certainly would not send them a suggestion to take the train if we had. They'd have done that on their own," Natalia added with a crease to her brow.

Harry had the feeling something here was not right. He turned to Ron. "Would Hermione have finished briefing by now?"

Ron shrugged. "Probably. She wants them out as soon as possible."

Harry nodded. "Ask her to meet me in my office. I might have something for her to look into."

(---)

There was smoke everywhere.

Blaise coughed for the thousandth time feeling his chest hurting from it and the impact he'd had when he'd fallen forward. He was crawling on the ground with Pansy next to him. They had woken up to screaming people and darkness and smoke and heat. It was _so_ hot.

There was fire behind them and around the train outside, which is why they were crawling to the second compartment in front of them with as little skin contact as possible. He had an idea that if they could go out the front of the train then they could walk the rest of the way to the next station. Though they hadn't thought the ground would be so warm, nevertheless with that goal they kept crawling to the front to avoid the smoke above them.

At the front of the compartment was a door which, when he pushed the warm bar, miraculously opened. They rose and walked through to the compartment ahead of theirs. It looked a little better than theirs, in that it wasn't all that charred to bits and the smoke wasn't so thick and choking. They managed to get up to walk crouched over and keep out of the smoke and it was in this position that they heard a familiar voice.

"Hold it down. It'll stop the flow of blood. I'll find something to tie around it okay?"

Blaise heard him first and turned around. The white blonde hair that any other day was visible within a crowd was dark with dirt and his face was smudged with it too.

"Draco?"

The blond turned around, distracted from tearing at the shirt of a body that lay still next to him, to face them and frowned. "Blaise?" his gaze shifted to his fiancée who was focused more on the body he was tearing the shirt from. "Pansy? What are you doing here?" She looked up at him.

"We could ask you the same thing," she said coughing it out.

He laughed bitterly. "Well I can tell you when I get out of here I'll be having words with the person who put me into this situation." He tore off the last of the strip of material and wrapped it around the little girl's leg that he had woken up to find on top of him and crying. "Hold still okay?" She bit down on her lip and nodded her tear streaked face. He tied it into a knot and she jumped, tears leaking faster but she held still just like he said. "Very good. Very, very good." He spoke to her gently and smiled at her. She gave him a watery one in return. "What are you guys doing here anyway? I didn't think you both took the train."

Pansy took her turn to laugh and coughed as a result of it. "We don't. But our parents seem to have changed their minds."

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "Your parents? _Your_ parents? The one's who turned themselves over but still won't touch muggles. Those parents?" Draco asked disbelievingly.

Blaise smiled. "One and the same. They invited us to lunch to discuss wedding stuff."

"Well isn't lunch _popular_," Draco muttered.

"What was that?" Pansy asked.

He looked up as if startled. "Hmm? Oh nothing important." He waved it off and then rubbed his hands on his jeans as he looked around. "So what's the plan, how are we getting out of here?" Blaise was ever the optimist. He always had a plan.

"Well I had an idea to get to the front of the train and walk the rest of the way to Westminister. Apparating is out of the question I think." He looked around at the small movements of people around him. Causing another wave of panic was not what he wanted. Especially after what had happened to Longbottom.

Draco seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Right… so no magic. Good, manually." He nodded. "Okay let's get moving then." He rose but stopped walking when the small girl pulled on the sleeve of his hooded jacket. She sniffed a little and he sighed. "Alright fine. But I'm just getting you out, right?" She nodded and smiled as he picked her up. "People," he said looking at Blaise and Pansy, "Meet Elizabeth. She's four years old and likes to do drawings and board games. Elizabeth, meet Blaise and Pansy. They like to do each other. All acquainted? Yes? Right, let's go." He began walking as Elizabeth giggled placing her head on his shoulder and left Pansy and Blaise staring at him.

They caught up as he was walking through to the first compartment and stopped. The compartment was empty. Draco frowned. "Where's everyone gone?"

Pansy came in after him followed by Blaise who looked around the compartment with wide eyes. The floor was near spotless, a feat in itself for the London Underground. They looked around the compartment with suspicion. "We need to get out of here right now." Blaise walked across the compartment to open one of the doors at the side. It wouldn't budge. The door at the front leading to the driver was locked.

"Well," Draco said from where he was standing, "I think it's safe to say anyone in here didn't get out that way."

Pansy moved away from the windows. The darkness outwide only allowed her to see her own reflection in the minimal light. "Was it empty when you got on?"

Draco looked at her, as did Elizabeth and both of them frowned at her in disbelief. They were so alike, Pansy's expression turned to surprise.

"Okay that is scary," she said in mock horror and moved away smiling.

Draco shook his head at her and moved to put Elizabeth down in a seat so he could look around. As soon as she was down, the door behind them slammed shut locking any others who would have followed them trapped inside.

Draco, Pansy, Blaise and Elizabeth turned and gasped collectively when the door shut but louder screams and a deafening blast nearly knocked them out in fear.

(---)

"What is it, Harry? They've only just left but I'd like to get back as soon as possible." Hermione walked into Harry's office that he shared with Ron. The six parents sat on chairs opposite him so she decided standing was better. They took up most of the room anyway.

Harry picked up two sheets of paper and handed them to her. "Read these."

Hermione took them and read through them frowning. "What of it? They were late to lunch," she said shrugging.

Harry looked at her. "Their parents didn't write it. From what the letters say it seems like they were urged to take the train. Draco told me on the phone just now that he was on his way because I asked him to lunch. I didn't invite him anywhere either."

"And how do you know he was on a train?"

Harry rolled his eyes along with Lucius and Narcissa. "When is Draco not on one of those disgusting germ infested contraptions?" Narcissa said with distaste.

"He even dragged my son into 'hopping around London,'" Nola said before shuddering. "He even tried to drag me along once." She shut her eyes and placed a hand on her chest, the other laying in her lap. "Utterly terrifying experience," she said in an ominous whisper.

"And you know," Natalia intervened, "Anywhere dear Blaise goes, Pansy goes. Utterly adorable," she smiled.

"It's a nuisance is what it is," Leonard said to his wife's comment. "Undignified for a Parkinson."

Hermione looked at them blankly. "I take it you're their parent's then?"

Harry sat up. "Yeah, well, you know the Malfoys obviously." Hermione nodded. "This is Natalia and Leonard Parkinson, and Nola and Lawren Zabini."

Hermione followed the line of adults going over the flawless dark and pale skin, the expensive clothes, the names – wait… _Lucius, Narcissa. Lawren, Nola. Leonard, Natalia_? She suddenly laughed and wished she hadn't so covered it up with a cough and a curious glance at Lucius Malfoy. "Did you plan that?" she asked him.

He seemed to know exactly what she was talking about because he rolled his eyes. "Yes blame us, the ones who did not choose our names nor arrange our marriages."

Narcissa looked at her. "We get it all the time. Lucius and I were married first and my mother… crazy as she was wanted to set a trend."

"A trend?" Harry asked her. Narcissa turned her gaze on him and stared.

"Yes a trend. A fashion, Potter." She added the last critically stating plainly with her expression that he obviously wouldn't know what that was. "First, she made sure all of her 'girlfriends,' had children the same age as myself and made sure their names started with an 'N.'"

"Why?" Ron asked sitting on his own desk.

As one they all turned around. Narcissa said, "You're asking me? Mr Potter here owns the house why don't you go there and ask her?"

Ron promptly turned red and green at the same time. Narcissa narrowed her eyes in keen accomplishment. "Exactly."

"Okay," Hermione said cutting that short. "So you think someone sent them all notes to go on the train and blow them up?" There was an empty silence as if gasps were meant to be heard but were professionally held back. "Okay," she said slowly. "I'll get some people to check out the notes but I doubt we'll find anything substantial. If Draco says he got one we should have that too Harry."

Harry waved a hand. "Have at it."

"Good. I'll see what I can do. Is that all?" she said and handed the notes to Ron.

"Yeah – no." He leaned forward don the desk. "When do we hear from the team?" He took his eyes off Ron who was reading through the notes when one fell to the ground and ignored him and he bent to pick it up.

There was a sudden commotion outside. The door burst open and an Auror came in looking incredibly stressed out. "There was – it's… oh Merlin. Come see!" she said and ran back out again.

They all rushed out after her and followed her back to the conference room to see people huddled around the television inside. Harry was so busy rushing to the front that he failed to see the slip of paper appear in a burst of flame and float down to rest on his desk.

(---)

A group of six walked purposefully toward the commotion in Central London weaving in an out of traffic and nudging no one in their stride. The six men wore black standard issue Auror robes as well as a few standard issue cloaking spells so they were neither seen nor heard.

"Collins," the head Auror said lowly as they approached the corner of the station.

"Sir," Collins said coming up beside him.

"Scout the area, I think. Make a quick sweep to determine magical residue and any wizard or witch that may be on the train. If so and you cannot handle the amounts, we'll be waiting right here.

Collins nodded once in comprehension. "Sir." He gave him a salute and Apparated.

(---)

The whole place shook heavily, none of them even able to see in the already dark compartment. The screams were drowned out by a sound reminiscent of heavy thunder smashing through their eardrums. The heat intensified as if fire surrounded them and the bright flash of light had them screwing their eyes shut.

Then it was over.

Silence. Except for the screams and cries from the next door compartment as blocks of concrete and gravel descended upon the cars trapped in the underground tunnel. As it slowed, their heavily panting breaths and Elizabeth's fitful sobs were all they could hear. Though that wasn't even much as they were all quite muted.

Draco looked up from his spot on the floor, where he had somehow managed to grab Elizabeth and take her down with him for some semblance of safety, and looked around. The light from the burning fire outside lit upon Pansy who had her eyes screwed shut and had a death-grip on Blaise's coat that he could miraculously still bear to have on. He was holding her just as tightly and stroking her hair as he muttered something neither of them could hear.

Draco looked down to where he could just make out Elizabeth's face. Her eyes were screwed shut as tight as Pansy's. Her sobs were barely heard as his ears were nearly deafened with the blast. He held her tighter as she squeezed him close to hide her face and he could feel her body wrack with cries. He let out a breath, coughing as he breathed back in, glancing back over at Blaise and Pansy and couldn't help but want Harry there to hold him the same way.

(---)

Hermione sighed exasperated and set an enlargement charm on the television to make it bigger so no one was blocking someone else anymore.

"..._nother explosion has occurred just moments ago and police say it must be caused by a triggering device of some sort because there is always strange cracking sounds moments before an explosion occurs..."_ Collective gasps went throughout the room.

Ron came in behind him and gripped his shoulder. Harry stood in silence watching and waiting. For what he didn't know. He just wanted a sign. Anything to say whether Draco was down there or not. Even if he was, he just wanted to know. _Not knowing_ was killing him. That was when Ron handed him a slip of paper.

The edges were burnt as if it'd survived a fire and he frowned as he read it, the creases on his brow smoothening as he reached the end.

_Tut, tut Hero,_

_If you want them, you have to _work_ for them. No shortcuts. But if you wanted them dead that soon, all you had to do was ask…_

The commotion on the screen made him look up. He didn't even notice Hermione taking the note from his hand.

"…_It's almost like a cave in. Tonnes of concrete used to house the tube station have begun to crack apart and fall in. Right now all we can do is pray for those trapped inside. Only a miracle can save them now…"_

Harry shook his head and turned to leave the room. That was _it_.

Hermione grabbed his arm. "Harry, you _can't_ go."

He narrowed his eyes as he turned to her aware of the eyes on him. As team leader, they had to watch him to plan their next moves. "Give me one reason why not."

Hermione sighed ready to give up for once. "How will you get in?" she tried one last time. She knew - _knew - s_he couldn't stop him now.

Harry scoffed and shrugged off her hand. "I'll find a way in. Watch me." That determined gleam in his eyes had led to many the victory. He began walking.

Narcissa snidely followed him with her gaze. "That's rich for someone who says you're not even talking."

Harry paused, an antsy feeling to curse her with his own hands bearing down on him so rapidly it scared him. He turned to Narcissa and stared at her. "Mrs. Malfoy," he said with exasperation lacing his tone, "with all due respect, does it really look like I give a _shit_ whether we're talking or not?" He waited. "Does it?" He nodded at her silence. "I know you don't like me. Frankly_, I don't like you either_. If it were a toss up between you and your husband I would most likely choose him _every_ time but you don't seem to understand that I am _in love _with your son, whether you like it or not. Even if he leaves me for good after this I'm getting him _out of there_." He continued to stare at her as he fought down his anger, his jaw slowly unclenching. He turned to Hermione. the view of the blonde enough to make him hurl a curse at the nearest wall. "You get a team ready here in ten minutes. Send someone, _anyone_ to my house to get that note and see who wrote them. I'm going to get ready." With a last look at them, "Once he's out, whoever's responsible answers to me." He stalked out of the room signalling the full stop to any argument that would have followed. The Conference Room door slammed shut.

Hermione sighed. "I was afraid this would happen." She turned to Ron. "You will make sure that he doesn't screw anything up with the muggle authorities," she said in a harsh tone.

Ron frowned at her. "He's a grown man 'Mione. I can't stop him from doing anything, especially if Malfoy's involved." He sighed at her near afraid look. "But I'll try, okay?" She relaxed and nodded before leaving to do as Harry asked her.


	3. Part III

**Title:** Last Words Part II  
**Author:** olimakiella  
**Rating:** I'll give it a PG17 for now, if only because it deals with a really bad situation that could affect people negatively. If you start getting flashbacks, stop reading. Seriously.  
**Pairing:**H/D  
**Warnings:** This is H/D slash. No likey no readey!  
**Disclaimer:**This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. It's pointless but I also do not own any part of the London Underground. especially the Circle Line. I also don't own ITN, Channel 5, Sky News, the BBC, the Metropolitan Police or the concept of Spell Diagrams. Just to be safe, anything to do with London, not mine. I also have a love affair happening with HP Lexicon. It knows all, that is the end of it. I own nothing from it.  
**Summary:** _He told him he hated him, just before disaster struck. Now he has to make sure it's not he last thing he ever gets to say._  
**Author's Notes: Warrington, Harper and Montague are actual Slytherins (consult with HP Lexicon). **The spell diagram was inspired by the wonderful Kimberjingle. If you don't know her, you should. Her epics have given me many the sleepless night. Serioulsy, I'm talking 50+ plus chapters and truck loads of smut. Go find her, worship her.

**Part III**

The weather was not the kind Hermione had in mind when it came to Muggle travel. The air was muggy and her hair was definitely going to frizz. The fact that the house stood on the cusp of the Wizarding World Border was surprising all by itself, _if a little annoying, _she thought as she fingered the flyaway strands. The fact Harry actually convinced Draco to _live _in it was reason enough to celebrate his genius and 'questionable' but effective bargaining skills. Hermione and Hannah stood on the doorstep of the house Harry shared with Draco, her hands in her pockets as she looked up and down the street. Harry had warned her about their neighbour Mr. Croft, who was equally protective and nosy when it came to his two gay and incredibly hot next-door neighbours. Sure she wasn't seeing anything, Hermione unlocked the door with the key Harry gave her before he _Apparated_ near the train station. She stepped inside signalling for Hannah to follow. The house was warm, the corridor tastefully decorated in crème walls and dark oak furnishings. She never tired of taking it all in. The first time she'd seen it she recruited Draco to decorate her home too and she'd not been disappointed either. The pictures on the wall smiled and waved at her, even the ones from their school days. As she walked along, Hermione smiled at the picture of 'the trio', as she always did when she came over. Her young face was framed by two boys of the same age who'd grown into two intelligent men that she cared for deeply.

The final frame that led to the stairway stood humble but more valued than all along the line, she knew. Upon receiving the picture as a housewarming gift from her, Harry wanted nothing other than the best to hold it in. Having not been a part of their lives in the beginning, besides to terrorise them, Draco only had one picture with Harry from school. It was taken after the Leaver's Assembly once they were all on the train. The compartment was big enough for more than three and Harry had invited Draco inside to Ron's confusion and ultimate anger. Of course, Harry found _then_ the perfect opportunity to enlighten his two best friends to exactly what (or, perhaps, _who_) he had been up to for the last six months. Ron's answering rant went on for a half hour but Hermione could already tell Harry wasn't even listening. Ron had left shortly after and their friendship stood on rocky ground until they'd started Auror training a year later. Hermione sat in the compartment listening to the unlikely pair talk quietly between themselves as she read a book she'd taken for the journey. Some two hours in, Harry fell asleep and Draco, engrossed in his own book, had looked over at the brunet when he'd let out a soft snore.

(---)

_Hermione looked up too, the soft chortle enough to disturb her. She watched her friend peacefully breathe through whatever dream he was having and narrowed her eyes softly in keen amusement when she saw the faint smile grow minutely on his face. It was enough to crinkle his nose and disrupt the stance of his glasses. Frowning, her automatic reflex was to lean over, tutting, and remove the frames from his face but before the command even left her brain, someone else had beaten her to it. _

_It was astonishing, the look on Malfoy's face. There was so much gentleness there, she actually thought she was seeing things. Blinking repeatedly, Hermione realised what she saw was true. That look, she'd seen it before on Dean's face as he stared at Seamus when the boy wasn't looking; on Fred when he looked unknowingly at Angelina during Christmas dinner. Once, she'd looked through Harry's old photo album with his parents in it. He'd pointed to his dad as James smiled fondly at Harry's mum. '_I want someone to look at me like that one day' _he'd stated as a wistful goal, his finger tracing the outline of his father's face._

No one will believe me,_ she thought to herself. _

Hermione wasn't able to resist capturing that moment. And there it was facing her on the wall in a simple sterling silver frame. The train swayed gently from side to side in the frame and Draco was watching Harry as if he were adorable before his eyes snapped up to Hermione. She would always remember the feeling, thinking that she might as well put the camera down because the moment was gone. It wasn't though, Draco just lowered his eyes to the sleeping boy and smiled.

_His hand put the newly folded spectacles on his lap next to his book and rose to sweep the loose strands of hair out of Harry's eyes, the tickle they created making his right eye twitch. "Gorgeous, isn't he?" He looked up at her again quickly, his thumb already re-opening the saved page. "Hurry up, before I change my mind," he'd mumbled. Hermione didn't miss the chance._

(---)

Coming out of her memory, Hermione watched as the scene repeated again and smiled to herself. It was obvious Draco was saying something but neither of them had ever told Harry what it was. Eventually he'd given up asking. She shrugged off her coat and threw it over the entrance table and instructed Hannah to do the same. Having been there before, she located the upstairs bedroom immediately and began looking for the note Harry'd supposedly sent. She found it on the bedside table and read it.

_Meet me for lunch._

_Please, Harry._

The message was simple, understated and to the point; undoubtedly Harry. She frowned. Well, it certainly _looked_ like Harry's handwriting. The unmistakeable loop in the stem of the P, Y and M was uncanny. Hermione shook her head and re-examined it with an objective eye. She knew similarities didn't matter when there was magic involved and muttered a spell to reveal who the writer was. Once more, her forehead creased. The writing stayed the same. No name appeared on the paper. A sigh escaped her, Harry had written it after all. It didn't make sense though. He wouldn't lie, not when it was this important. He never forgot anything either, especially when he had Draco to deal with.

Hannah, Hermione's resident go-to-girl when it came to investigations into forgery, stood next to her having noticed the same thing. She then said, "Wait, there's a spell we found just two weeks ago. One of our suspect's contacts was trying to lure one of our witnesses out of hiding. Lucky we found it in time or else she would have died," she added as an aside. She took the sheet, and closed her eyes before saying something so incredibly complicated Hermione was going to have to hear it three or four times to pronounce it properly.

"Say that again?" she asked.

Hannah looked down at the sheet of paper and her eyes widened. "No need, it worked."

Hermione followed her gaze and gasped at the name that came up. Her eyes flashed to the picture of Draco and Harry as they gently smiled at her from their position on the beside table. This was bad.

(---)

Harry Potter stormed the streets of London with three Aurors in his wake dressed as muggles. He had insisted they go back and change when they came out in Auror robes stating that they would cause too many heads to turn had they turned up like that. The emblems on their robes were transferred to pocket sized metal shields and put into a leather holder in the style of muggle police officers just in case any questions were asked.

Which of course they were when they reached.

The officer sighed in annoyance. "Sir step back behind the tape."

Harry stayed still. "Just let me see the officer in charge here." He looked to down to the shield the man wore. "Constable, it is very important that I speak to him.

The Constable clenched his jaw, his hands tightening into fists. He'd obviously been hassled far too much for the day. "Sir, _please_ step back. behind. the tape."

Harry, however, did not care. "You will show him to me before I have you fired." The gaze in Harry's eyes held and the Constable he was talking to suddenly turned immediately and found the man Harry wanted to see.

Ron leaned forward just a tad. "Harry, you shouldn't do that, mate." Harry didn't answer, he just kept up his concentration.

"What is this rubbish I'm hearing about a Minister of Magic?" Chief Superintendent Bradley practically hissed. He knew of 'them.' It had been pretty hard _not_ to once that Longwhatever chap had gotten himself into trouble. Of course, that didn't mean he wanted them around all the time scaring the locals. They had enough mass hysteria as they could handle.

Harry looked the man in the eyes much the same way he had done with the Constable before him. "You will run the number of this badge." He gave him the shield from his pocket and closed his hand around it.

Once the man came back he had a grave face on. "So? What do you want?" He handed back the small shield. "And don't do that to me ever again."

"You would not have believed me even if I tried to get you to see reason."

"And what reason is that? Besides your lot coming into London and killing innocent people?"

Ron narrowed his eyes, his temper mixing with his anxiety. "That _lot_ that you refer to only happen to be in a minute few who hate you all. The rest of us are pretty likeable. Like the man _your lot_ practically killed when he saved that girl's life." Harry nearly had to hold him back. It had hit a sore spot when muggles had practically murdered Neville and his family near his home. It was especially bad when Lucius Malfoy had said it just _'proved his point' _why there_ 'shouldn't be anymore 'mixing' no offence intended with the war over and all,'_ followed by the most _insincere_ smile to ever exist in the Malfoy household. Ron had almost agreed with him.

It was Dean who shut them all up. "Chief Superintendent, we aren't here to argue. We don't know what has been causing this. We have suspicions, but not much more than that. All we know is that we have three members of _our lot_ trapped down there. We want to get them out as much as you want the muggles."

Bradley raised an eyebrow. "That's what you want, to go down there yourselves?" He glanced behind him to the entrance of Embankment Station. The wide area surrounding was cordoned off with yellow tape and the amount of people milling around trying to see inside was making everything three times slower. The press was here already. He could see vans from ITN, Channel 5, Sky and the BBC on the outskirts of the crowd.

Harry nodded. "Just to get them out. We won't touch anything else. We swear." The Chief Superintendent directed his attention back to the group of men before him.

They stood still while they were scrutinised and eyes dragged up and down their forms. Seamus broke the ice when he muttered. "Merlin, this is just like when I met Parvati's dad." Ron snorted. As did Dean and Harry, though theirs was more muted. Chief Superintendent Bradley near did the same but brushed it off, though he did stop staring at them suspiciously. He nodded once. The yellow tape between them was raised.

"Come with me."

(---)

Hermione, Hannah and Tonks walked up to an old abandoned warehouse. Tonks looked down at the slip of paper Ginny Weasley had handed to her back at the office. Ginny worked in the Department of Magical Real Estate, recently added after the war as it was needed _desperately_ with all the homes being rebuilt and new ones being sold. Ginny had run the name Theodore Knot through the 'search and display' spell designed to find any home, apartment, shack, straw house or cardboard box owned by the name incorporated in the spell. This same name had shown on the page 'Harry's' note had been written on and, with the help of Hannah, the slip of parchment that appeared above Harry's desk.

Knot was one of eleven people to switch sides in the war to help the side of light. Apparently he had recently purchased a lease on the great monstrosity before them, though the spells surrounding it made it unnoticeable unless you were looking for it. Hermione gasped as she took in the sight of it. It was huge. She and Hannah disarmed the wards and she went inside holding the doors open long enough for the other two to step in before letting them slam shut again.

As she walked around, Hermione noted that inside was just like the outside, only cleaner. Whilst outside was dingy and full of dirt, rotten wood and metal and countless bad odours, inside was the same. The only exception was the small area to one end that seemed to be divided into six compartments by standalone walls, like those making up office cubicles. Each one resembled a small living space. It reminded Hermione of movie sets with all the different rooms back to back but decorated differently to state which was which. Five rooms were decorated in the open. One alone was filled with paper and maps and _more_ paper decorated in diagrams and…

Tube maps.

"I think it's safe to say we have our culprits," Tonks said before stepping up to the table in the centre of the 'room.' Her eyes lit upon dozens of notes, some letters and probably hundreds of drawings and diagrams depicting a spell in progress. She opened a box filled with letters, all in Harry's handwriting. She picked one up. "I guess these are what they were using to do that forgery spell. Makes sense, there are plenty to choose from." Her eyes scanned the words and she grinned ferally. "Oh Harry you dirty little-"

Hermione snatched it away. "That's _enough_, we're here to gather information."

Tonks grinned again. "I was. Harry's a right devil." She shivered for effect then walked around looking at the maps on the walls.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She'd be more interested if she hadn't read them all once before. She'd 'accidentally' found the box one time when she was helping Draco find out who Harry had been 'cheating on him' with. This followed a lunch date Harry'd missed to celebrate his birthday. Hermione, knowing that Harry didn't forget _anything_ when it came to Draco (to avoid situations like these for obvious reasons), told Draco as much but she was refuted based on the fact that Harry was acting '_weird'_. Though, of course, to Draco _everything_ Harry did was weird so it wasn't much to go on. It turned out Harry had missed the date because Draco, in his excitement to celebrate hadn't actually invited Harry anywhere. And the reason Harry had been acting weird was because he was planning Draco's birthday party and couldn't keep a secret worth shit for his life. Hermione rolled her eyes again. Those two frustrated her enough not to want any boys of her own. Throw Ronald into the mix and well… she sighed. The men she was cursed to know, honestly.

She looked up hearing the voices on the tape player that Hannah pressed play on. It was a recording of four voices describing a spell, now that it was 'completed.'

"_Yeah, well, just make sure you have everything ready for them, Rob."_ There was a shuffling of papers and a grunted affirmation.

A chair scraped along the floor. Hermione looked to the table. There were no chairs but she could clearly see scuff marks on the floor. _"And how exactly are we going to get them down there?" _

"_Oh, don't you worry. Theo will personally make sure they get down there."_

Hermione gasped at that last bit and Hannah pressed pause.

"That's Christian Montague, Nicholas Harper, Robert Durbin and Carmichael Warrington. Why are they all here? What are they doing?" The four of them, including Theodore Knot were five of the eleven who had helped them in the end, the other six being Blaise, Pansy and Draco's parents.

"Look over here." She turned to Hannah who was bent over a large diagram of lines and words.

"It looks like a spell," Tonks said looking at the expanse of it on the sheet.

Hermione looked at it closely and frowned. "That can't be right," she said and traced a line leading to the outside of the diagram. The spell _Incendio_ stood on the end of the line where a new line should have joined it to the centre. She frowned deeper when another line on the other side stood out as a loose end, ending with the word _Bombarda_. Then the frown smoothened and she stepped back once to look at it better.

"Well, shit."


	4. Part IV

**Title:** Last Words Part IV  
**Author:** olimakiella  
**Rating:** PG 17  
**Pairing: **H/D  
**Warnings:** This is H/D slash. No likey no readey!  
**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. It's pointless but I also do not own any part of the London Underground, especially the Circle Line.  
**Summary:** _He told him he hated him, just before disaster struck. Now he has to make sure it's not he last thing he ever gets to say._  
**  
**

**Last Words Part IV**

Hermione looked around at all the diagrams on the walls laid out in a strange haphazard order. Her eyes scanned them both individually and as a group trying to find a pattern among them. She came across a diagram dated three months prior and near ripped it off the wall. Its rudimentary calculations brought to mind her first venture into _Runes, Arithmancy _and_ Spell Creation_. From the sheet she recognised the basis of the other drawings. _They had gone through many of them then_, she thought, looking at the scraps on the floor as well as in the waste bin to the side of the 'room'. Based on the scorch marks on the walls of the large warehouse, it seemed they'd tested it out to make it perfect too. She laid it out next to the spell diagram on the table.

"What can't be right, what do you mean?" Hannah asked putting down the tape recorder and walking over.

Hermione looked at her slowly coming out of her stupor. She shook her head to clear the thoughts and put her finger on the paper. "See this circle?" she said tracing the outer circle going around most of the many lines practically scratched into the centre of the page. "It's the boundary of the spell." She took a deep breath. "Within it," she said signifying all the lines within the large circle, "spells are meant to be blocked from the inside." She laid her right hand on the diagram she'd just torn down from the wall. "This is supposed to be the spell diagram used for the first spell dampener."

Tonks frowned. "Supposed to be?"

Hermione shook her head stating in her gesture it was not important. "They've messed with it. See here?" She traced the line on the other page in the same place. It started outside of the inner circle of the diagram and moving to a point outside of the whole diagram. "This signifies a person who is going inside the boundary of the spell. See how it's in green? Anything green in a spell diagram refers to a living entity that is alien to the spell itself."

Hannah was listening carefully, her mind still running over the term 'going inside' when something clicked into place. "Going inside? Like entering?"

Hermione gave a compromising gesture. "Mmm, more like breaking and entering." She stood up straight her mind thinking on a simile. "It's like an alarm system. Anything going in is repelled out. You come in uninvited and-"

"Like – like _Apparition_, maybe?" Hannah said looking at the spell to explode and to set on fire.

That one word had Hermione spurring into action. She took out her mobile phone. "We need to get these things to the office," she said glancing at the things pinned and stapled to the makeshift walls as she dialled a number. She noticed both Hannah and Tonks take out their wands and she pressed the call button waiting for Harry to answer, and then nearly dropped the phone in her attempt to take them away.

The surprise was enough to shock Tonks' hair into a pale white. "What's wrong?" Tonks said holding her wand to her chest.

Hermione looked at the pins and tacks holding up the paper on the walls. Then she looked at the scorch marks on the bricks walls of the warehouse. _They tested it here first. _"No magic. We have to do it manually."

"Why?" Hannah said.

"Why?" Hermione turned to her and asked. "Why would five _pure-blooded_ wizards on a quest for revenge pin up paper with _muggle pins and staples_ whilst creating a spell which creates _fire-"_ She pointed to the blackened bricks, "- when magic is done?" It was then that she heard Harry's voice and went back to him.

(---)

Harry didn't know where they got the trailer from, but it was bloody hot. The small space was enough to hold only ten people at most but that alone was enough to stifle him. The group sat listening to a briefing which detailed how they'd get down to the platforms. They were treated as the backburner of the effort, due to the fact they'd had to reduce themselves to _asking _to be included. So far, all they'd learned was if anything _out of the ordinary_ were to occur, they'd be solely blamed. "We'll have to go down manually, no machinery no _anything_," a man in a grey T-Shirt, black slacks and a near disgusted expression said to them.

Harry frowned not knowing if the expression was for them or because they couldn't use help. He looked at Ron who shrugged as he seemed to be trying to work it out too. Seamus shrugged when he looked at him and Dean just smirked and mimicked shovelling. Harry smiled at him.

"Something funny, boy?" the man said to him through grave brown eyes.

Harry felt a rage in him he hadn't felt since he was fifteen. Probably about the last time he'd heard those words. He slowly turned his eyes from Dean who'd been looking at the man. All Harry saw was Dean shutting his eyes in sympathy before his vision held a red visage of his target. Harry glared at him and stood up with narrowed eyes. "Just the expression on your face. Are you _that _afraid of manual labour?" he said rudely. Much like he would have if he were fifteen.

The man opened his mouth in outrage. "Why you-" He made to go forward when Harry put up a hand. The sudden shift in atmosphere was all the individuals of the trailer felt. No one could really identify what had happened until the Chief Superintendent stood up and told him to unfreeze his Constable. The Constable in question opened his eyes wide as he looked at him. Harry turned to look at him too, if with a little more boredom than anything else.

"Is there a reason why we have to put up with this?" Harry said gesturing to the frozen man.

"Let him go," the Chief Superintendent sighed. "He is actually needed here."

Harry rolled his eyes and let the Constable go. The man hastily stepped back watching Harry up and down.

Harry glared at him. "_Never_ call me 'boy'," he said and sat down with a group of smirking wizards. As he did, his mobile phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the name on the screen. His eyebrows furrowed. "Ron." The subject of his call answered with a curious look. "Why is your wife calling me when you have a perfectly good phone of your own?" He accepted the call anyway. "Hello… hello?" He frowned hearing something about 'fire when magic is done'. "What?" he asked unconsciously getting louder. "What was that about fire?" he said even louder this time hearing that Hermione was talking to someone else. He then realised he'd said it loud enough for everyone to stare at him. He smiled weakly then excused himself to go outside.

A little bit later a man came in, looked around at them all and called for the Chief Superintendent. "You're going to want to see this, sir." The Chief nodded to the man in the grey t-shirt. "Constable, keep me informed." The Constable nodded in accord and watched him leave, his eyes travelling back to the wizards as soon as he'd left.

Ron looked at Seamus and Dean who shrugged at him. Getting no answers he moved onto more pressing matters. "Why do you reckon she didn't call me?" Dean held his hand out and asked for his phone. When Ron handed it to him Dean made a show of inspecting the new-age fossil, snorted and tossed it back.

"'Cos it's a shit phone with no reception," he laughed.

Ron frowned holding his phone to his chest. Hermione had given it to him two years ago after he'd graduated from a course in Muggle studies. She'd been proud of him and the phone was a celebratory gift. He'd never gotten rid of it, it still worked so he didn't see the need. Neither did he understand why Harry got a new one every year. He'd just assumed Draco's pickiness made him change it. "What?"

Dean sighed. "You bloomin' pureblood wizards will be the death of me." He sat forward and put his elbows on his knees. Ron, a phone will not work without reception. Sometimes... an older phone is more reliable and has better reception, sometimes it's crap. Yours obviously falls into the latter category."

"Reception?"

Dean sighed once more. "A signal. Like… like how a radio won't work if you don't tune it properly and point the aerial in the proper way. Harry's phone has better reception, probably. Or it could be because the H is easier to reach than the R on the key pad."

"True, two presses instead of three and the call button. Good one Dean," Seamus said and grinned at Ron's nonplussed look.

The others in the surveillance van looked at them and just stared. It was in that moment that Harry chose to come back in.

"This is going to be a little harder than we thought."

(---)

When Draco's ears popped he could hear the screams all the clearer and things were no better than before. The screams were twice as loud, it was three times hotter and the darkness was even darker if that was possible as the fire had died down a little.

He coughed and felt around for Elizabeth keeping his body as low as he could. When he found a small hand he squeezed it and was relieved when she squeezed back even tighter. She crawled toward him and held him tight. He reached for her coat and took it off knowing it could be no easier for her, wrapped up warm like she was from the cold outside the train station. He took off his too and tossed it. Thinking of coats made him think of Blaise and that thick coat he wore everywhere since Pansy bought it for him.

"Blaise! Blaise!"

"What," he heard right next to him. He turned and reached out a hand, holding onto Elizabeth with the other one and near hit Blaise in the face. "Hey, watch it, Draco." He batted the offending hand away.

"Where's Pansy?" Draco asked worried. He hadn't heard anything out of her since her screaming during the explosion.

"I'm right here," she said from her spot right beside him.

Then there was silence save the echoes of survivors in the other compartments. The rain of gravel, dirt and concrete was finally over and they sat without saying anything, just trying to breathe as little as they could to save oxygen.

Pansy sighed and they all looked to her, the few bright flames from outside giving a little light to her face.

She rested her head against Blaise's shoulder. "See if I ever accept an invitation to lunch with our parents again." They all stared in her direction for another few seconds before they started to laugh.

(---)

"What the hell do you mean?" Hearing the five names of the men who had switched sides along with the Malfoy's, the Zabini's and the Parkinson's wasn't as surprising as Ron thought it would be. He was actually still waiting for a stunt from the latter parties but had since been disappointed, not that he wanted them to do anything. Mind you, finding out they couldn't use magic was something different.

Harry shook his head. "None. Something about a spell they created. She said it was quite ingenious. Anyway, she's coming down, said she could leave Tonks with Ginny to figure it out back at headquarters. Seamus, go see if you can find her out there, yeah? She said she was going to _Apparate_ near and walk the rest." Seamus nodded and left.

"Well of course, _Hermione_ would think it ingenious. She lives for that kind of thing."

"Ron you can't think it much of an inconvenience. We had to do loads of recon work at the school when it was falling apart," Dean said, his eyes unconsciously following the sandy-haired man out of the trailer. Harry nodded at the statement pointedly ignoring the look on Dean's face. He needed to have a talk with his friend about keeping his looks more discreet. If Ron had noticed (which he had judging from the light blush on his face) then Parvati definitely had. They didn't need that kind of trouble again.

Harry thought on Dean's words, forgetting his expression for a while. They'd had to dig deep for most of the Slytherins who were down in the dungeons when all hell had broken loose. Draco had been especially determined. A few minutes later, Hermione came in with Seamus. She looked grimly at them all, looking at both the muggle and wizard 'Police' force.

She sighed. "I take it Ron's heard then," she said and smiled.

Ron rolled his eyes.

Hermione got straight to business. "Harry, we found their hideout. It's filled with papers and data on this: tube maps, notes upon notes. It's taking a while to sort through them all. But we found letters you wrote to Draco." The blood in Harry's face all but drained. "Well, Tonks did. She's been trying to find the rest of them to read through them all. You know why." Suddenly the blood found its way back with a vengeance. "That's beside the point, though. Here." She took out her wand and pointed to the board with a diagram of the tunnel route that they'd be following and stuck the diagram she'd found at the warehouse on it. The muggles in the room jumped. Hermione rolled her eyes at them. "This is the spell diagram they used to create the spell. It's… quite complicated actually though it doesn't look it,' she said oblivious to the rest of the men in the tight space looking at her, the diagram and then to each other. "In a nutshell it means anyone trying to get into here using magic," she said pointing to the smallest circle, "creates these," she continued pointing to the two spells at the ends of the multitude of 'loose ends', "All over here," she finished swiping her hand over the page outside of the small circle. She looked at them in silence.

"The five of them did that?" Harry asked. "For what? What could they gain from this?"

Hermione shrugged. "Well they're all living in a warehouse in makeshift wide open rooms. I don't think they did as well as the others who switched sides. Maybe… you know maybe they're doing it for ransom. It makes sense. They could want money in exchange for their children, for your… Draco," she amended wary of the eyes and ears of the muggles around her. "If it doesn't work they could expose themselves and our world for ransom too."

Harry nodded along. That did make sense.

"It's a good thing old Voldy didn't notice their potential then ain't it, 'mione?" Seamus quipped and then sobered fairly quickly when he saw how they looked at him. They all looked like they wanted to hit him.

"What about if you did a spell before entering?" Ron asked out of the blue. He hadn't stopped staring at the 'jumble of lines.'

Hermione surveyed him in thought and then looked at the diagram. She traced the lines and then tilted her head looking at her husband. "That could work," she smiled. "Ron, you genius."

He smiled as she turned back to the white board and looked at Harry. "What did he say?" Seamus mouthed. Harry snorted.

"Imagine being able to lift the really heavy rock by using the spell to strengthen yourself before going into the boundary of the spell diagram. You genius, Ron," Dean teased.

"Makes up for not being able to use machinery ay, grey shirt?" Seamus said to the Constable who Harry had frozen not so long ago. He looked at them all strangely.

"Can it be reversed?" Dean asked. They all turned to look at her. Hermione blushed at the attention and turned to the board to hide it. She stared long and hard. "I can try… I – I can't promise much… but I can promise you I'll try."

Harry stood up. "Well, let's go," he said. His anxiety had been climbing with every minute that passed.

Getting suited up was a little tricky, considering they had to put on flame retardant suits a bit like what the firemen wore. When Ron saw his, he laughed. Harry rolled his eyes. "Is there no way at all to make these a little user friendly?"

Hermione clucked her tongue. "You know, you sounded just like Draco there for a second." Seeing Harry's eyes suddenly sadden in front of her she sighed. "Come on. I'll change them for you," she said in way of apology. She led them back into the van and began changing them into easier to manoeuvre suits but kept their properties.

"Hermione, you're a gem."

"Yes, yes, I know." She smiled at them, performed various other spells and then sent them outside. Before the muggles came in for their set, she took hold of Ron's arm and held him. He turned back and frowned. "What is it 'mione?"

"You know how I said before that we should promote wizard muggle bonding?"

"Yeah," he said, his face taking on the look his mother usually had when she confronted the twins. "Though, with how they treat the lot of us, it's a wonder."

She smiled at him. "I know. Look, when you get down there, whenever I talk on the radio I'll be talking to Harry or the others. I want you to switch your radio signal to two, okay? I need you to do that for me. Can you?"

He nodded. "Yeah I can. Why?" he asked, his curiosity peaked.

She shook her head as someone opened the door. "You ready to be enchanted?" she grinned at their chagrined looks. "Oh, come on, it won't kill you," she said hustling them inside. She looked at Ron seriously before giving him a kiss and pushing him out. He left without a word.


	5. Part V

**Title:** Last Words Part 5  
**Author:** olimakiella  
**Pairing: **H/D  
**Warnings:** This is H/D slash. No likey no readey!  
**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. It's pointless but I also do not own any part of the London Underground. especially the Circle Line.  
**Summary:** _He told him he hated him, just before disaster struck. Now he has to make sure it's not the last thing he ever gets to say._  
**Author's Notes: **This was actually written before the attack on the Underground that July and I hadn't wanted to upload it, stupidly thinking for a while that me writing it was like a bad omen, but then I submitted it as a gift fic for a journal friend of mine and it's a great hit on the site so I uploaded it here too.

**Part V**

"Ah! Jackpot!" Tonks squealed finding a box Hermione had hidden from her and placed it on the table.

"What?" Ginny said leaning over Hannah. "What's that?"

"Love letters Harry wrote," she sat down delving into the best read she'd had since she'd finished those trashy love novels on her bookshelf.

"You're not going to help?" Ginny said.

"I'm here purely to supervise, dear. So go ahead and do something I can supervise, will you?" she said and turned back to the letter she was reading. Her eyes sparkled and she smiled in the most 'aw'ing way possible. She'd never thought the bumbling Harry would be capable of such... _passion_. "Oh Draco, you lucky bastard."

Ginny and Hannah rolled their eyes and got to work. During the three hours they worked they were able to separate spell diagrams, notes on the diagrams, notes on Draco, Blaise and Pansy complete with timetables and day to day, in depth itinerary's. They didn't understand why they were following a man named Jeremy but they put that into its own pile. There were letters from Draco, Blaise and Pansy's parents and from Harry, the latter of which would not be given up by Tonks and a tape recording of their suspects' voices describing how the spell worked now it was completed and then an argument of how best to enter once the back compartments of the train had exploded.

Hannah watched Ginny ominously and located the rewind and play button again. Muggle devices were so strange. Once Ginny and Tonks (who got torn away from the letters she was reading upon hearing the discussion taking place on the cassette) had heard the content, they tried to call Harry. When neither he nor Ron answered their phones, they called Hermione who answered almost immediately.

Hermione, having just found a small loophole in the diagram, when they told her what they'd found out, gasped and grabbed the nearest headset that happened to be on the lead surveillance officer's head. He cried out as she near ripped it off his head and glared at her in silence as he rubbed his ears. She gave him a dismissive apology and practically yelled down the microphone on channel four.

**(-)**

"Bloody Merlin's hell, it's hot," Seamus said throwing the largest chunk of concrete he had found behind him. He adjusted the fire extinguisher on his back held by a strap that went across his chest. All of them had one on them. The lightening charms were a godsend is all they could think at the moment. Those and the strengthening charms Hermione had performed on them before they went down into the darkness.

"Makes it easier these spells, don' it, Constable?" Dean asked _'Mr. Grey Shirt'_ as they had taken to calling him amongst themselves. His actual name was Owens but they didn't really care.

"Yeah, much," was all Constable Owens said, though he was smiling when he said it, throwing his own large chunk of concrete like it was a pebble.

"How long did Hermione say we'd have?" Dean asked. He dug around a large boulder wiping his brow as he did. They may have been strong but the heat was incredible.

"About six hours until it wears off," Ron answered for them tossing another piece. "That was about- what, three hours or so ago?"

"We're almost at the bottom!" Someone yelled a little further down. They looked down the tunnel. They'd already cleared most of the escalators. Some victims who'd been trapped and were still alive were taken upstairs once they'd found them with other members of the large team that went with them. Most had broken apart to search for any other survivors while their small six man team had continued further. There had been a few small cave ins but nothing too dangerous to them.

The further they climbed down, the hotter it became and the more doubtful it was that anyone had survived.

__

"Harry! Harry are you there, please answer me!"

Harry frowned and spoke into the headset near stuck to his head with all the sweat pouring off him. Taking off his head-set to wipe off some of the sweat, he turned his radio to speaker. "Yeah Hermione?" he said as he neared the bottom of the steep incline where the escalator use to be._"Harry. Listen, I just got word from Ginny and Hannah. They've… the five of them have been following both of you and Blaise and Pansy for weeks now, they've got day to day notes on everything you've been doing and they've made plans to get back into the train after it's exploded. Their not going in for ransom, they're going in for revenge."_

The men in a close vicnity straightened hearing the words and then averted their eyes when they saw the look on Harry's face. He was staring at the ground before he sat down, a heavy weight settling on his heart.

_"They're going to kill them Harry. They don't care if they die in the process. Look, I looked at the diagram again. It's not just magic, it's apparition especially. Anyone trying to get in or out causes an explosion and each explosion starts from the last compartment to the first one. The police up here believe the series of blasts… um-" _There was a jumble of paper as she searched for the correct information. "-_apparently there were three. The cracks from before could have been three of them apparating out or two apparitions out and in or something… I don't know. Look - just be careful because if they are coming back in, more explosions are going to happen and you aren't going to be able to shield it, okay? Not without causing more. I doubt much will be down there anyway."_

"So how many have happened so far?" Dean asked now that he'd reached the bottom. The smooth concrete of the underground platform felt just as solid but different from the rest he'd trodden on so far.

Hermione counted them on her hand. _"There were three in the beginning, then one more when our team was sent. If this is a standard seven car train then there are three left. But Dean, I doubt there would be anyone in it. Alive anyway."_

Still looking at Harry four of them continued to dig. "We have to try, Hermione," came Ron's gruff voice, careful to say it close enough to another headset. His voice was heavy from coughing. _"Just be careful, Ron. I don't want you guys down there too long."_

"Holy hell," one of the muggle police officers said when he cleared the end of the escalators and passed through the small opening onto what would should have been the Embankment platform on the Circle line. The space was large, like an underground crater, and large rocks of concrete sat on parts of the train, squashing it like a tin can. The metal looked crumpled like paper. Fire was spread out everywhere and the heat was immense. Flame retardant clothes were doing nothing for the heat. Harry almost wished for the harsh feel of the cold outside. He took down his own fire extinguisher and got to work on the first 'compartment' he could see clearly. It was split in two, and if there were bodies he couldn't see any. He could smell it though. Like charcoaled meat, immense, thick and filling his nostrils.

Constable Owens made it to the doorway first as there was no door. They climbed around the edges to avoid falling on the tracks. The roof of the tunnel was broken and continued cracking while small rumbles filled the expanse. Most likely the traffic above causing it. They were made fully aware they were under tonnes upon tonnes of concrete, it would do good to take caution with where they stepped and what they pushed over.

Four cars in, Harry began getting anxious.

_He'd better be in the last one. If he isn't I don't know what I'd do._

There was a slight tremor in Harry's hands and he tightened them to fists before making use of them as he pushed over what looked like a seat that sat charred in the aisle. "The last thing I told him was that I hated him, Ron."

Ron looked at him from the other side of the compartment as they crossed into the fifth one. "He's okay, mate. Don't think all the other times I wanted him to die he'd just go ahead and do it. One time you tell him you hate him and you think he'll keel over. I doubt it."

Harry sighed and looked away. "I hope you're right, Ron. I really do."

_(-)_

Pansy studied her friend. He sat quietly fidgeting with Elizabeth's coat sleeve, picking at a fraying edge as she slept in his arms. Pansy wondered how the child could sleep in this heat, but then, children were resilient. Draco stared at the strings he was pulling along with his fingers. They must have held all the secrets of the universe. "Draco, what are you doing here?" Pansy asked after nearly five hours of nothing. Just baking in the contraption of tin Blaise called a train.

The blank look on Draco's face disappeared. Draco sneered though no one could see him. _"Potter."_

Blaise smiled. He was sitting on his coat with Pansy right next to him. He'd taken off his tie and undone most of the buttons on his shirt and was leaning against the back rest of the chair he was sitting on. The floor was much too hot as were the walls. Pansy had taken off her shoes. They were as uncomfortable enough as it is. "You had _another_ fight?" he grinned. "What the hell do you see in him?" He shook his head at their nonsense.

Pansy smacked his arm. "He sees a lot in him, Blaise. Mainly the lot in his pants," they laughed at him.

"Pansy! There is a child sitting right next to me," Draco admonished. The two of his friends watched the little girl sound asleep and cocked an eyebrow at him in sync. "And there is more to him than what's in his pants, I'll have you know," Draco added when it was clear his previous claim was unfounded.

"We don't need to know, because whatever he has outside of it is obviously not that much to think about," Blaise cracked up with Pansy.

Draco looked at both his friends in the dark. "Merlin you people are… what do I see in friends like you?"

"A lot more than Potter. I for one am certain you want nothing in my pants!" Pansy said amidst her giggles.

Draco looked in their direction. The darkness obscured their expression but he could tell from experience that their faces were creased in laughter. He shook his head at them. They were so perfect for each other.

"Well go on then. What do you see in him? If there is more to him than his… you know," she censored as there was a child there and all, asleep or no, "then what is it?" she finished.

Draco sighed. "…He loves me Pans." Draco's eyes lit dimly by the flames outside, stared out of a dark window. "I haven't had that before but... he really does." He didn't look like he believed what he was saying. "He told me almost every week since school and multiple times a day but I hadn't ever believed him until just after the war ended." He shrugged. "Because he didn't have a reason to keep me around anymore." His voice trailed off at the end.

Pansy bit her lip feeling a little bad for making fun of him like that. "Oh, _Draco."_

Draco shook his head and sniffed. "And then we started arguing and now everything's gone to shit because he hates me." He looked at Pansy and she could see the glisten in his eyes. "I told him I wouldn't be home when he got there. He's probably rejoicing as we speak," he sniffed again and looked outside of the glass. Nothing, just blackness. He sighed.

Pansy sat forward a little. They were speaking softly, she didn't know why. "How do you know he hates you?"

Draco scoffed. "He as good as told me so on the phone right before I hung up on him. Just before I realised I was on the train."

There was a slight pause. Blaise, silent during their conversation until now, _had_ to say something. "Before you _realised_ you were on the train?"

Draco smiled, suddenly realising that what he said wouldn't have made much sense. "Yeah. It hit me as a surprise actually. I'm so good at it now I don't even have to be aware of it anymore. I can just do it automatically." He grinned proud of himself. Blaise rolled his eyes though he grinned the entire time.

Pansy watched her friend closely. The smile didn't reach his eyes. He did feel proud, she didn't doubt that but... she knew there was something missing. She looked away not able to take the sadness underlying his expression, she would curse Potter if they ever got out of here. Looking morosely at the darkness beyond the windows and compartment door, she felt her hope go with her as she wondered if they were going to die down there.

Then Pansy let slip a small gasp. "Draco, honey, I don't think he hates you. He can't possibly." She straightened as she spoke and turned to Draco who was still staring at the floor after the lapse in their conversation.

"Oh, really Pansy?" Draco said snidely and looked up at her getting edgy now that she wasn't letting it go. "And how could _you_ know?" He wiped his face and continued quietly. "You didn't hear him."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "I don't need to hear him, Draco."

Draco leaned forward as much as he could with a sleeping child on his lap. "Yes you do." There was that glistening again. Draco's voice trailed off as if he didn't trust it to speak for him anymore.

Pansy allowed a small smile as she stared at him and then gestured to the door. _"No, I don't,_ because he's right outside."

(-)

The cabin was hot, but Hermione imagined it couldn't be as hot as where she'd just sent her husband so she didn't complain. At least she had the choice to go outside and cool down if it became unbearable. The board returned her concentrated stare, the pages on it just sitting there and swaying a little when the oscillating fan turned to them. Hermione was pouring over the diagram in front of her searching for a way to reverse it or at least find another way around it, save first level spells. It was useless. Suddenly, the back door of the van burst open and three men charged inside. Hermione recognised the first man as the Chief Superintendent. She got worried, wondering why he looked so anxious. He'd been called away pretty abruptly before.

"How far have they reached? Tell me!" the Chief Superintendent barked when he came in. The lead in the surveillance van contacted one of the men inside. "Most have stayed looking for survivors on Constable Owens's orders sir. The rest as far as they know have touched the ground and are near if not on the train itself.

The Chief Superintendent looked grave at the news and shut his eyes tight.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked. The three men looked at her as if surprised to see her. She frowned. "What's happened? Tell me, or I force it out." She held up her wand. The two others stared at the piece of wood and then at her as if she was crazy. Only the Chief Superintendent knew what it was capable of. He handed her and envelope.

She looked at them as she opened it and drew out a large print photograph. Then dropped it when her eyes hit upon the most gruesome sight she had ever seen. Which was saying a lot.

"And why doesn't this body have a face?"

(-)

Harry banged hard on the window to the first car of the train. It was the last one and Harry's last hope. "Draco? _Draco_! Are you in there? Hello!" They were in the sixth compartment. They'd miraculously found three people near dead and called for medical attention to help move them. Harry had immediately located the last compartment and started yelling. So far he hadn't heard anything. "Hello! _Please_, is anyone in there?" He sighed and pushed back his sweat soaked hair.

"No luck?" Constable Owens said breathing heavily in the thick heat. Harry just shook his head turning around ready to finally allow his armour to fall.

It was over. Draco was gone.

Harry's heart jumped against his ribcage when something smacked against the glass behind him. He turned to see three very well known faces banging against the door and yelling at him to open it. He couldn't hear what they were saying though. "Why can't I hear them?"

Owen shrugged. "Probably sound proof. Who knows? Stand clear let me break it in. Tell them to move back."

"That won't be much help, will it, if they can't hear me?" Harry pointed out. Then he looked to the top. "Wait let me just see if I could pull this down."

Owen looked incredulous. "Wouldn't they have tried that already or haven't your people mastered the art of noticing the obvious?"

Harry glared at him again but let it slide, he had more important things to do. "No, they don't know _that _much about the Underground." He let it go because just on the other side was Draco and he had to get him out of there. He had to feel him again even if it would be the last time, especially if the newly discovered gifted quintet were anywhere around. He reached up and tugged the window on the door down. It budged, but not by much. "Six hours my arse. Come on help me." Ron found two bars that weren't so hot and once a space was big enough he shoved them both in, one on each side, and they worked together to force it down.

Once the window was all the way down. Blaise shoved Pansy through, who couldn't get out fast enough. Then Blaise went through. Next Harry came face to face with Draco.

Draco handed him Elizabeth. Harry took her with a slight quirk to his brow but put her down to help Draco climb out. He wasn't even all the way through before Harry grasped hold of him and didn't let go. Draco's feet hardly touched the ground as Harry held him.

His face was buried in the juncture between Draco's neck and his shoulder. He smelled of smoke and ash but Harry didn't care. Draco was holding him back, probably tighter than Harry held him, that was all he cared about that moment. "Don't you fucking _dare_ scare me like that again," he whispered in his ear and tightened his grip. "You're never leaving my sight, you hear me? _Never_." His eyes watered from more than the sting of smoke.

Draco's head turned in toward his neck. He couldn't keep the tremor out of his voice if he tried. "You said you hated me."

Harry shook his head. "I lied," he said immediately. "I'm sorry. I could _never_ hate you." Harry sounded defiant, and his arms didn't leave Draco's waist.

The profound relief both of them felt at finally hearing that and having it said released a weight they'd been carrying all day. "I was going to leave you," Draco said his tears soaking through Harry's clothes.

Harry still hadn't moved. "And I was going to camp out on the Malfoy Lawn until you took me back, simple as that."

Draco laughed through his tears. He pulled back to look Harry in the eyes. His hand reached up and ran along the wet tendrils of Harry's hair, bypassing the head-set that sat there. He wasn't too sure what it was but they were in the muggle world so he let it go. "You came for me," he said finally.

Harry shut his eyes, a tear falling and making a track in the dirt and ash on his face. He solidified his hold, breathed hard into Draco's damp neck and willed his heart to calm down. It would not and still pounded erratically. "I would die for you," he whispered.

"Touching."

The new unexpected voice made them part and look at the owner of the voice. Four men stood in the way of their exit. Christian Montague, Nicholas Harper, Robert Durbin and Carmichael Warrington. Harry looked at Ron, who nodded, signalling that he'd noticed it too. He then gave small surreptitious glances around trying to pinpoint their last suspect. Harry ignored the way Ron looked distracted with a crease on his brow, it was easier to once Montague started to speak.

Montague stood in clean dark blue robes, the long sleeves hanging to his wrists. The robes were open showing a simple blue t shirt with a pair of dark denim jeans. His left hand extended out and Harry clearly saw a wand there. "It's a shame you didn't bring your wands. We could have made a party out of it," Christian Montague said twirling his own in his hands.

Harry frowned. _If it's impossible to use them, why would they still bring them?_

"Oh I'm sure the smart mudblood knew they wouldn't need them, eh? Told you all to go on without them, didn't she?" Warrington drawled. "Bet she found out our hideout, yeah, had a right look-see and told you not to do any spells at all because we've blocked you from using any of the high scale bullshit on us."

Christian Montague was practically giddy with smugness, his long blonde hair bouncing as he sang, "You can't get _past_ it! It's impossible." He grinned at them brandishing his wand. "Guess we brought these for nothing, eh?" He pocketed it then rubbed his hands together. "Now, who shall we start on first?" He looked around. "You all look _so_ good. The highlife must be treating you well. Too bad it didn't treat _us_ as pleasantly, no?" He sneered, the effect doubled when the others mimicked the motion. "Having to live in the worst of it while you all live off your parents' money," said looking at Blaise and Pansy. "You're feasting off the Ministry's 'kindness' seeing as they let you keep your riches, _despite_ all the despicable deeds your parents committed before 'turning over a new leaf.'" He scoffed. "You all happy?" he said and centred in on Draco. "Whoring yourselves off to celebrities?" Dean and Seamus had to hold Harry back.

Carmichael Warrington narrowed his brown eyes at him. He leaned against the smoke-blackened wall of the sixth compartment not caring if his open black robes got dirty. "Malfoy. He's looking a little _too_ good. Maybe he needs to be cut down to size."

Nicholas Harper grinned, even white teeth showing how wonderful he thought the idea was. "Yes," he said considering Warrington's words. "He _has_ grown an ego the size of his father's. Reminds you of the revels in the Dark Lord's honour, doesn't he?" He cocked his head to the side, brown hair limply following the gesture as he stared at Draco and narrowed his blue eyes. "You were always too cocky for your own good. Maybe Christian can help you relieve some of the pressure in your head. He's good with faces our Christian." Montague produced a knife that he took out of his robes. "He can mess them up really good."

Harry stepped in front of Draco. "You touch him. I kill you."

"Ah, the hero steps forward." Christian bowed as if to royalty. Hair falling forward, he paused and then looked up quizzically. His light green eyes looked confused. "Is that how it works? I bow and you give me the world?" His grin turned feral, his eyes hardening, belying any confusion he'd pretended to feel. "Or should I turn around first?" He laughed when Ron, Seamus and Dean had to hold back the 'Boy wonder. "No?" He pretended to think. "Not 'pretty' enough for you, am I?" He idly straightened and brushed some ash from his shoulder. "I must admit my looks have thinned somewhat living in a dark warehouse for so many years." He looked up from his methodical cleansing and paused. "Maybe if I got to you first before Malfoy did I would have stood a chance." He spoke to Draco, "We could give judges a fair amount of trouble if we went up for competition back in school, couldn't we, Draco?" He gave a cocky grin. "Ego aside, I'm sure I would have won."

"But you didn't have that tension with him, did you?" Durbin inserted. Harry was sure for a moment there he couldn't talk. "They always had that, you could see it when they argued in school."

Christian looked at him and then back at the group in front of them considering. "I think you're right, Robert." He watched the pair for a second or two. "No. I don't think I would have stood a chance." Cocking an eyebrow he continued, "You were already spoken for it seems, Potter." He shrugged waving a hand. "Oh well. I could kill you anyway." He walked forward again and then stopped, frozen.

Harry frowned along with everyone else in the group. That was no ordinary freezing. It was a _petrificus totalus_. They jumped when the knife in Christian's hand flew to Ron who threw it at Owens.

It hit him in the chest.


	6. Part VI

**Title:** Last Words Part 5  
**Author:** olimakiella  
**Pairing: **H/D  
**Warnings:** This is H/D slash. No likey no readey!  
**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. It's pointless but I also do not own any part of the London Underground. especially the Circle Line. the four other bad guys were found on the HP Lexicon, I don't own them either.  
**Summary:** _He told him he hated him, just before disaster struck. Now he has to make sure it's not the last thing he ever gets to say._  
**Author's Notes: **This was actually written before the attack on the Underground that July and I hadn't wanted to upload it, stupidly thinking for a while that me writing it was like a bad omen, but then I submitted it as a gift fic for a journal friend of mine and it's a great hit on the site so I uploaded it here too.

**Part VI**

**_Previously: _**

**_*_**_Hermione, having just found a small loophole in the diagram, when they told her what they'd found out, gasped and grabbed the nearest headset that happened to be on the lead surveillance officer's head._

_*****"And why doesn't this body have a face?"  
_

_*****Harry frowned along with everyone else in the group. That was no ordinary freezing. It was a petrificus totalus. They jumped when the knife in Christian's hand flew to Ron who threw it at Owens. __It hit him in the chest._

Harry quickly jumped to the side as Constable Owens body fell beside him. The switchblade tumbling from his hand as he landed. Then they all stared at Ron. "What the fuck, Ron?" Harry near screamed. He noticed the wand in his hand. "You killed him!"

Ron just shook his head. "Harry, get down," he said before shooting basic spells that disarmed the remaining three and tie them up. He put a binding hex on Christian then let him go. He fell to the ground, his head hitting hard knocking him out. When he was done, he smiled blowing on his fingers. Wandless magic was awesome.

_**~Ten Minutes Earlier:~**_

"And why doesn't this body have a face?" Hermione asked with nothing more than a wince. Most gruesome or not, it was not the first time she had seen something like it. The matte print picture landed on the table in front of her making the lead surveillance officer wince when he saw the picture. She heard his gasp but disregarded it.

The three men took in her reaction and explained.

Hermione listened to the gruesome details and the report from the coroner. Her eyes were drawn to the picture once more, now in the surveillance officer's hands. The face pictured there had been practically skinned. Now she knew it was done using a serrated knife five days ago. "So his skin was sliced off? Why exactly?" Hermione said, her voice rising an octave higher.

The men sat down with her, handing her another envelope. She could see the blurry outline of a smile through the white paper, a posed picture then. She was glad this face was more intact as it was obvious whoever the suspect was, they didn't want the victim's face to be seen. A vengeance crime most likely.

"This is the body of a colleague of ours. We recently found out he's been missing since last week. A real sport until the end. He was one of our best." The others nodded their ascent and kept quiet.

She broke the seal on the white envelope. "I'm sure he was."

The Chief Superintendent stared at her gravely. "I hope whoever you are searching for gets to be tried by our judicial system also."

She looked up from the envelope curious about the change in subject. Her hands rested for the moment. "I'm not sure about those details, you can get in touch with our Minister. These kind of terrorist acts usually earn a one way ticket to the Kiss," she said distractedly going back to her task. Her fingers closed around the gloss print picture inside feeling its smooth texture. Definitely a posed picture, it was the type a person would frame and put on a mantle or wall. Glancing down so she wouldn't be surprised she could see a uniform. It was upside down.

The expression 'Kiss' won an eyebrow raise from all three men. "Well I'm not sure how that will solve anything but the judgement on our parts is more personal."

Hermione went over what she had said knowing something was misunderstood. "The Kiss comes from a creature that, through it kiss, sucks out a soul - did you say personal?" she said retracing the last part that had made her think.

Her explanation seemed to make the men pause. The Chief Superintendent recovered first. "Yes, quite."

"If you don't mind my asking. How so?" She finally pulled the photograph out of the envelope, her eyes widening as they centred on the face of a man she had seen not four hours ago.

The Chief Superintendent looked her in the eye. "The body in the photograph, is Constable Jeremy Owens."

(-)

Ron walked over to the dead body of Constable Jeremy Owens and pulled out his Apple Tango bottle filled with 'water' and tipped it out onto the steaming floor of the train. On the top lay a bunch of hairs that more or less floated in the thick congealed substance.

"That's-"

"Polyjuice potion, yeah. This, my friends, is Theodore Nott. Say hello."

Dean held down the body of Robert Durbin. "How… how did you-"

Ron shook his head. "No, not that smart." He indicated their radios. "Channel two." They turned to them and changed the station. "Say hello to my beautiful and gifted wife." He put his own radio on speaker.

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

The well known voice of his other best friend came through loud and clear. _"Hey Harry. You ready to come up for air?"_

Harry laughed and nodded. "Yeah, have some Aurors ready there will you, we have some arrests to make." He glared at the frozen form of Christian Montague.

_"Will do, Harry. Shacklebolts on his way, as well as the Minister."_

"Dad's coming?" Ron said. "Sweet."

Harry turned to Draco who was talking Elizabeth out of hiding behind him. "We can Obliviate her right? I don't think she should remember seeing all this," Draco said as the little girl hugged his legs.

Harry smiled at him holding out his hand. "Yeah, we'll do that. Come on. Let's go home."

(-)

Harry stood outside of the hospital room pacing. He was fully healed, all scratches and bruises gone. Inside the room Blaise, Pansy and Draco were being treated for possible lung damage having been in a smoky train and underground for over four hours straight. He hadn't seen him since they breached the surface as he'd had to stay to report to Kingsley and Arthur. Draco and the others were sent to the hospital immediately.

When he'd stormed the ward, he found their parents, all of their parents, waiting on the corridor.

He could stand the wait. It made him anxious but he could stand it. He could stand their fidgeting, he was a little twitchy himself so he understood. What he couldn't stand, was Narcissa's bitching. All along he thought Draco got his temperament from his father. How _mistaken_ the world really was.

"Must they take so long, honestly I could do this faster than they can and I'm not even a healer."

Harry looked at Lucius Malfoy and continued to look at Lucius Malfoy when Lucius took notice of his staring. He cocked an eyebrow in inquiry. Harry just shook his head with an incredulous look and glanced at his wife. Then Lucius did something Harry had never seen him do before.

He smiled and shrugged.

Harry was saved from commenting as the door to the examining room opened and the patients filtered out one by one to be grasped in a tight hold by their parents. Draco held onto his mother who was going on about trains, how she'd told him to stay away from them and that he was never going to board one again if she had anything to do with it. Draco wasn't really paying her any attention though.

He detached himself from his mother and walked over to Harry.

"Draco, lets get you home," drifted through his ears but he didn't pay it any heed. He stopped in front of Harry who hadn't taken his eyes off him since he came out of the room.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked him. Draco nodded. "They gave you potions and stuff for the…" He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "For the smoke and that?" he said wondering why it was so difficult to talk.

Draco nodded. "I'm fine." He continued to stare at Harry as he fidgeted on his spot against the wall. His brow creased momentarily. "You gonna hold me or what?"

Harry exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding a grabbed hold of his boyfriend. He pushed himself up off the wall and drew Draco into a tight hold snaking his arms around Draco's waist. He stood there with his eyes closed and forgot there was anyone watching them.

"Thank you, Harry," he heard and turned his head in toward Draco's neck.

"I wouldn't have left you down there. I _couldn't_ leave you down there. And I couldn't trust anyone else to bring you back to me." He kept his eyes screwed tight to stop the water from leaking out the sides. "I can't lose you Draco. I don't care how angry you are at me." He sniffed. "I don't care if you move out. I just had to get you out of there."

The others stood in the hospital corridor in an awkward silence before deciding to leave the two alone. They walked past and Harry gave them a passing glance as they walked by. Narcissa cocked an eyebrow but was steered ahead by Lucius who just nodded once in Harry's direction, his eyes telling Harry to look after his son.

"Take me home, Harry." Harry nodded and they walked together to the apparition bay before resuming their positions and apparated home.

Harry took in the darkness of the room. The lamppost outside shone faintly through the window and Harry could see the abandoned clothes thrown haphazardly on the bed. The picture perfect sign of his boyfriend getting ready to go out.

Draco's voice cut through the silence. "When you told me you hated me this morning. It hurt, Harry." Draco withdrew and looked at Harry, all red eyes and blotchiness.

Harry nodded. "I know, but I didn't mean it," he whispered resting his forehead against the blond, "I swear I didn't mean it." He took in a breath and it came out as a sob. "When I saw the explosion on the news I just – I went cold inside. I saw all those people being carried out half dead and all I could think was that-" His face screwed up. "-if you were down there, the last thing I ever said to you was that I hated you and I just couldn't let that be true." He sniffed. "I can't lose you Draco. I can't – I don't know what I'd do if I did."

Draco smiled through his tears. "You'd be free of my mother."

Harry gave a watery laugh. "Nah, she's a lovely woman."

Draco laughed with him. "And you're a terrible liar." He took his arms down from around Harry's neck and snaked them around his waist and Harry took the opportunity to wrap himself around his boyfriend. Draco closed his eyes and sighed. "When I was down there, it was dark like this. The fire only lit so much but I could see Blaise and Pansy huddled together. All I wanted was for you to be there with me."

Draco could feel Harry's hold tighten. "I would have, if it was possible I would have been there in an instant."

Draco nodded. "I know. That's enough for me right now." He sniffed and parted feeling cool air settle between them and instantly wanted to crawl back into the space he knew Harry would make for him. "I'm gonna take a bath." Harry nodded and let go but frowned when Draco wouldn't. When he looked up, Draco was smiling at him and backing up to their en suite bathroom tugging him along as he went.


	7. Part VII

**Title:** Last Words Part VII  
**Author:** olimakiella  
**Pairing: **H/D  
**Warnings:** This is H/D slash. No likey no readey! British English.  
**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. It's pointless but I also do not own any part of the London Underground. especially the Circle Line. the four other bad guys were found on the HP Lexicon, I don't own them either.  
**Summary:** _He told him he hated him, just before disaster struck. Now he has to make sure it's not the last thing he ever gets to say._  
**Author's Notes: **This was actually written before the attack on the Underground that July and I hadn't wanted to upload it, stupidly thinking for a while that me writing it was like a bad omen. **This is th final chapter. Here's the reason for the M rating. Just a little something to balance off all the cliffhangers and suspense. :)**

**Part VII**

"Oh god," Draco whispered spreading his legs wider. "Oh Harry, oh god." Both Harry and Draco were lying wrapped in each others arms in their huge bed, Harry against the headboard and Draco in front of him, luxuriating in the warmth of each other. Harry sucked gently on his neck as Draco caressed the back of Harry's head with one hand and ran his nails lightly down Harry's arm that was beneath the covers and between his legs. He moved his head further to the side to give Harry better access and a soft, contented sound escaped his mouth as his eyes fluttered closed. Draco reached over and stroked Harry's thigh through the material of his pyjama pants not knowing what else to do with his hands. Harry kissed and bit lightly on the area just below Draco's ear, eliciting a soft moan from the blond, which only encouraged him to continue. When Draco's head fell back he kissed him lightly at the corner of his mouth before claiming Draco's lips in a hard kiss. The silver-haired wizard sighed and Harry smiled as he brushed his lips along Draco's cheek.

"That's it," Harry urged working Draco's cock with one hand as he unbuttoned the too big nightshirt with the other. Harry was sure Draco wasn't feeling too good, considering the nightshirt he wore wasn't even his and Harry knew that Draco only ever dug through Harry's drawer for nightclothes when he was upset. Harry never knew why, but Draco looked hot so he just never questioned it. At least it let him know when his boyfriend was upset, though he didn't need to be a genius to figure it out this time. But Harry didn't focus on that. When he asked Draco, he'd been brushed off and told that he was 'fine' and then not so cleverly distracted by kissing and having his hand shoved under the covers. So Harry let it go for now and focused on giving his lover as much pleasure as possible.

Harry's slow, sure movements had Draco dizzy, his hips moving in time against Harry's hand and his own. He dropped his head back on Harry's shoulder, his breathing speeding up as he tried to move Harry's hand faster with his own. But Harry refused, keeping up the agonisingly slow pace. "Harry, please," he said swallowing hard. "Please, faster."

Harry turned his head and took a deep breath of him, effectively inhaling Draco's scent of fresh soap and musk. It was _divine._ "Oh no, you're to feel _everything_ I do," he said punctuating his words with a steady stroke to the base of his cock. Once he got down to the base he worked his way back up and started over. Draco's mouth opened to let out a shuddering breath especially when he felt a finger suddenly press against his opening. He jumped at the sudden pressure, the sensation going straight to his cock and he bucked almost dislodging the pressure entirely. He didn't get far, though, since he was being held quite tightly by Harry's other arm. Harry only chuckled and did it again, massaging the blond's hole and Draco couldn't do anything but whimper when Harry used his middle finger to slowly push inside. Draco's breath caught in his throat and Harry whispered a charm under his breath before Draco felt the slippery substance aid the intrusion of the digit. It worked its way into him all the way to the knuckle, curling on its way back out, over and over again until Draco was panting even more. When Harry added his ring finger, Draco pushed back against the digits, trying to get more of them in him but Harry would have none of it. This time he withdrew pushing back in with a third and scissored his fingers, moving them in and out. Draco bucked up into Harry's hand and began to moan louder as Harry focused his movements to meet Draco's prostate every time. When Draco found himself thrusting a little bit more into Harry's fist he pushed Harry's hands away.

Before Harry could say anything, Draco had pushed back the covers and risen to turn around. He straddled Harry's legs pressing his hands against his chest to steady himself before sitting comfortably in his boyfriend's lap leaving a not so modest space between them. Draco cupped Harry's face with his hands, caressing it and kissing him all over. When he bent for another kiss, Harry prised his mouth open and pushed his tongue into Draco's mouth as Draco ran his hands through the messy black tangles of Harry's hair. He moved his hands to Harry's shoulders, using them as leverage to rock his hips enough to make Harry close his eyes at the prolonged torture. Harry held on to Draco's hips to hold him still, they needed to stop before he came right there. He didn't want to come, not yet, but he could feel Draco's hot skin beneath the shirt and his fingertips. He could feel Draco's naked arse clenching where he sat practically on top of his cock through his pants. And it didn't help that every time Draco's tongue touched his, he would grind his hips into Harry's erection.

That was it. He undid the last few buttons of the nightshirt Draco wore with one hand, the other moulding itself to the skin of his back under the material and mapping its way up his spine. Draco broke their kiss as he arched into Harry's touch. His forehead rested on his boyfriend's shoulder as Harry near tore the shirt off his shoulders and latched his mouth onto the flesh revealed from his labour.

Draco fidgeted with the drawstring of Harry pants and managed to undo it, releasing Harry's confined erection after he moaned from Harry's talented tongue assaulting his shoulder and collarbone. He raised a little to allow Harry to kick them off completely before resuming his place atop his boyfriend. Both moaned as their naked bodies ground together. He wrapped his fingers around Harry's cock and started pumping it as Harry kissed and sucked on his neck.

"Oh Merlin, Harry, please." His breathing was shallow as Harry's fingers entered him again, this time with more lubrication. He leaned forward to get into position before falling back slowly, feeling the pressure of the cock at his entrance. Draco moaned as Harry impaled him and his breathing grew heavier. He laid his head against Harry's shoulder again and groaned deeply as Harry put his hands over his back. Harry brought his face back to look at him and those bright green eyes stared right at him. Draco couldn't help but be amazed. He was kissed soundly, his arms twining around Harry's neck and shoulders, one hand sifting through the dark mass. He had to catch his breath when Harry pulled away.

"You feel that?" Harry asked him and shifted a little. Draco moaned softly and nodded, resting his forehead against his boyfriend's. "Mmm, you feel so good, Draco." Harry then shifted again and chuckled when a hand fisted in his hair. "You like that? Feel this." Harry then grabbed onto Draco's pelvis and held his hips down. Before Draco had a chance to query Harry's actions, his mouth dropped open due to a sheer lack of not being able to help it.

Harry'd moved them into the perfect angle.

Draco whimpered in sweet agony as his prostate was being rubbed, his hips moving in reflex just to relieve the pressure against the constant contact. Harry found the angle immediately and his movements caused Draco to moan uncontrollably and hold onto Harry tighter. Draco cried out when Harry jabbed his sweet spot hard, and he bucked arching his back and impaling himself wonderfully. His ring of hot muscle was clenching around Harry's cock with the most delicious force and Harry had to close his eyes to concentrate on not coming at once. With a tight grip on the blond's hips he managed to slow them down a little and took hold of Draco's hands from around his shoulders by securing a hold on his wrists and linked fingers with him. Breathing heavily they rested their foreheads together.

When Draco opened his eyes, Harry was looking at him and without warning, kissed him softly and languidly. Their tongues flicked out at the other's, and then Harry pushed his into Draco's mouth receiving a cute whimper. The rocking resumed and they let go of each other's hands to get as close as possible. Their pace grew faster as they neared climax and it wasn't long before Harry was pushed over the edge from Draco's muscles contracting and clenching his member tightly during his orgasm. He held Draco in place as he thrust deeply a few more times just to ride every bit of his climax out.

As they caught their breath, they rested against each other, their chests heaving. Harry whispered a quick cleaning spell on the two of them before Draco moved to lie down. Harry turned and spooned up behind him and Draco hummed taking hold of Harry's wrist, wrapped Harry around him like a blanket and snuggled backwards into the dark-haired man.

(-)

Harry woke sometime later to find the other half of the bed empty. He blinked and turned over to look at the door to the bathroom but the light wasn't on behind the door. He frowned and sat up looking around the room. "Draco?" he called out softly. When he didn't hear anything, he pushed back the duvet and got out of bed locating a pair of pyjama pants and a grey t-shirt. Before making his way out of the bedroom he backtracked to the bedside table and pulled out a drawer locating a box inside. Opening the box he bit his lip wondering. Determined though, he took out the sole contents and shoved it in his pocket and made his way out of the room.

As he walked outside he noted the house was colder than it usually was so he turned up the thermostat as he passed it on the stairs on his way down. Noticing the kitchen light on, he tiptoed downstairs and walked into the kitchen admirably stamping down the yelp he wanted to let loose because of the freezing cold tiles. Draco was sitting at the island in the kitchen with his hair tied up in a ponytail in just his underwear and the same cashmere nightshirt Harry had taken off him earlier. He was drinking a cup of tea. Harry walked up behind him and placed his hands on either side of his boyfriend on the counter. He noticed Draco jump but didn't say anything.

He kissed his temple. "Couldn't sleep?" Draco shook his head. Harry noticed Draco's hawthorn wand on the counter next to the cup and sighed. "You want to talk about it?" Again, Draco shook his head. Harry nodded knowing that he'd have to find another way to get his boyfriend to talk. He eyed the kettle and decided to mull it over with some hot chocolate.

He was spooning a generous helping of the powder into a mug when a near silent sniffle caught his attention. He stopped what he was doing and looked straight ahead at the overhead cupboard in front of him and waited. He could hear Draco trying to breathe silently through his blocked nose. Turning he was met with the sight of Draco hiding behind his cup of tea. His hair had suddenly been released from the band, now around his wrist, and it was pretty much hiding his face completely. Harry shook his head walking over to the blond and took the cup away placing it down on the counter. He then ran his fingers gently through the blonde hair tucking it behind his ear. His face was blotchy from crying and his eyes were watery, trying to blink the tears away. _So much for being fine_, Harry thought when he saw the look of misery on Draco's face and realised just how much the issue had been bothering him. He tisked and twisted the stool around before pressing closer to his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around him. He rubbed the blond's back soothingly. "Its okay, Draco. Everything is okay," he said softly.

Draco was shaking his head against his chest. "No, it's not okay, Harry." He sniffed miserably. "I woke up in the dark and I thought I was down there again. I almost couldn't breathe. I wanted to put on the lights but I didn't want to wake you." He sobbed miserably. "I almost broke my leg trying to get out of the room." Draco sniffed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Harry looked down surreptitiously. There was a small bruise forming there. He sighed. "I don't want to be that person who's afraid of his own shadow, Harry."

Harry heaved a heavy breath. "We'll work it out, okay? It's to be expected after what you went through today. It'll go away soon, I'm sure of it." He held him tighter as if to seal the promise.

Draco held him back. "I hope so. I don't think I could handle feeling like that for too long."

Harry rubbed comforting circles in the small of his back and didn't say a word when he felt air cooling the salt water being rubbed into his skin through his t-shirt.

"I was thinking about our argument two days ago."

Draco closed his eyes. He didn't want to get into this now. "Harry, no-"

"No, Draco, just hear me out," Harry said breathing heavily through his nose. He steeled his courage, managed to take a deep breath and just said it. "Marry me."

Draco froze and Harry bit his lip hoping that he hadn't ruined a good thing.

"What?" Draco's head rose and his hands froze in their fidgeting on his lap.

"Marry me."

Draco frowned. "But - but you said-"

Harry shook his head. "I know what I said." In fact he was incredibly aware of what he'd said. A talk with Hermione on his way to the hospital had made him aware enough to regret every word that had come out of his mouth. He knew it would happen of course. It always did when he talked to someone who was a fan of logic. And now he knew he was in the wrong.

Draco didn't quite seem to understand. He shook his head trying to sort out his thoughts. "What made you change your mind?"

Harry tilted his head. "I had time to think about what I said two days ago. It wasn't fair of me to accuse you of those things. I had no right to and I'm sorry." The words ran through his head.

_You want the world to know that I'm yours? Draco, who else's would I be?_

There had been a pause there where Draco had looked away not knowing how to answer. Then Harry had accused him with, _You don't trust me, do you?_ And then he'd scoffed and left for work. They hadn't spoken for the entire day; they'd slept in separate rooms since. The phone call they'd shared earlier was the first time they had spoken in two days.

Harry felt a warm hand on his chest, it's heat seeping through the material of his t-shirt. Having his attention, the hand slipped down back to Draco's lap and Harry mourned the loss. "I'm not going to marry you just because I almost died today, Harry. Don't make it about that, please."

Harry shook his head. "I just want you. I want you to be mine."

Grey eyes surveyed him, looking for answers. Finally, Draco smirked at him. "Who else's would I be?"

Harry laughed lightly. "Touché."

Draco sobered and looked down. "You were right though. A part of why I asked you is because I was scared. Until the end of the war I didn't really believe that you loved me-"

"Draco-"

"No," Draco said cutting him off placing his hands back on Harry's chest. "I know you said it all the time. You showed it just as much but I just -" Draco's eyes closed. "- not until the end of the war when I was sure that you weren't just keeping me with you for information..."

Harry frowned. He had no idea Draco thought like that. "I wouldn't-"

"I know," Draco said opening his eyes and looking up at him again. "I figured it out. I trust _you,_ Harry, more than anything but I don't - I don't trust anyone else. Not with you." He covered his face with his hands feeling embarrassed. "You probably think I'm being stupid."

Harry bent the small distance between them, leaning against the island's counter behind Draco with his arm, the other rested on Draco's thigh. "No, I don't. I can't possibly if it's the way I've been feeling about you since I fell in love with you." He took hold of Draco's hands and dragged them away from his face. "Why do you think I don't like you going out with Blaise and Pansy without me?" He laughed and Draco joined him. He moved closer and pushed back the hair on the other side behind Draco's ear. Standing in the vee of his legs, Harry cupped Draco's face. "Every time someone looks at you I'm scared they'll take you away from me, you're that gorgeous."

Draco laughed again and it was the most beautiful sound Harry ever heard. "Yes, I suppose I am."

Harry shook his head fondly and leaned his forehead against Draco's. He spoke soberly. "I may have not been ready before, but I do want to spend the rest of my life with you." His hands slipped down from Draco's face, past his neck and collar bone, further past his chest and rested just above Draco's knees. "Say yes and give me warrant to beat them off with a bat legally." He took a ring out of his pocket and held it up between them.

Draco looked down at what Harry was presenting to him and laughed. "You're proposing to me with the ring _I_ bought for _you_?" He took it out of Harry's fingers and held it in his lap smiling at it. "Oh, Harry, you cheapskate," he said, his laugh belying his words.

Harry laughed with him. "That's a yes, right?"

Draco looked up at him, the smile on his mouth and in his eyes making Harry's insides float and flutter. Draco snaked a hand up past Harry's shoulder and around his neck to twine his fingers in his hair. "Yes, I suppose it is." They moved closer almost as if drawn by an invisible thread and then Harry's mouth was on his, lips working gently against his own before they parted. Draco felt so safe and sighed into Harry's neck before kissing it. They stayed in the kitchen like that for a while wrapped around the other. Though the cold from outside had penetrated indoors all Draco felt was warmth. He felt warmth rushing all over his body from the heat Harry gave off.

Harry fingered the material of Draco's night shirt between his fingers and Draco's hot skin. He trailed his right hand lightly over the small of Draco's back while he kissed the back of his neck and felt empowered when Draco shivered in his arms. Snaking his left hand up into the blonde hair, he pulled Draco's head toward him, crushing their mouths together. Draco's mouth opened, inviting the tongue inside using his teeth to pull Harry's lower lip into his mouth, sucking on the plump flesh. The kiss was deepened slowly and Harry kept one arm around Draco's waist thrusting his tongue into the slick warmth of Draco's mouth.

Near the point of losing all self-restraint, Harry slipped a hand down across Draco's abdomen and came to rest at the apex of his thighs. When Draco shivered, he wasn't sure if it was from the cold of the kitchen or the fact that he'd just slipped his hand into his underwear. But after trying to simultaneously make space to manoeuvre with one hand, and keeping him as close as possible with this other, he got frustrated.

"Fuck it," Harry swore separating himself from the gorgeous blond and began tugging the underwear over Draco's slim hips. He pulled them all the way off and threw them away over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the blond. Then he stepped forward, aggressively crowding close between Draco's legs and kissed him again pulling at the backs of Draco's knees to keep them attached. His hands slid up the warm skin of Draco's thighs, creeping under the hem of the nightshirt to the curve of his arse and squeezed pulling him forward roughly. Draco moaned into the newly instigated kiss, tightening his grip on the material at the back of Harry's neck and secured his legs around the dark haired man by locking his ankles. The building pleasure he felt at the relentless pressure had him bucking hips, which did nothing but making Harry's cock positively _ache_. His other hand wondered down Harry's chest to the waistband of his pyjama pants and he pulled at it mercilessly fingers encouraging his clueless mate to at least pull it down if not take it off completely.

"Harry, plea-" He was cut off from resorting to desperate measures when he felt a shiver run up his spine to travel straight down to his prostate and sphincter.

Which was getting slicker by the second. _Wandless bastard_, he thought fondly.

As a finger entered him to stretch him he vaguely registered a kiss being placed on his lips and a cocky grin entered his vision before it disappeared to kiss at his neck and travel to his ear. "Yeah, I thought you'd like that. I was gonna save it though, for the honeymoon." A low chuckle followed before he was being kissed again thoroughly so he didn't notice as Harry shifted slightly. He did feel Harry manoeuvring his fingers deeper inside his body and the blond bucked against it. Harry scissored his fingers back and forth inside Draco, and then pulled them all the way out before shoving them back in. Draco moaned aloud and Harry ate up the sound as he kissed him deeply. Draco's hands scrabbled at the waist of Harry's pyjama's again dragging it down in frustration sighing as Harry moved his hand to do it himself and lined himself up perfectly. He leaned backward, a hand at his back and supporting him, his legs apart and felt the tip of his lover's cock at his entrance. He exhaled as Harry entered him.

Hot and tight. Harry grabbed the blond's hips, thrusting upward as he pulled him forward. He shut his eyes tight burying his head in the juncture between Draco's neck and shoulder and stilled, the sheer heat of him was enough to make him shudder uncontrollably. He had thought once, during their early years that he would get used to it but he never did. Every time felt like the first time.

When he was certain he wouldn't come immediately upon movement, Harry slowly slid his cock out to the head and then back in. But when Draco held him tighter, making those sounds he made with his mouth open against his shoulder and _keening_, he couldn't take it anymore and increased the speed of his thrusts, leaning forward and kissing his mate. Draco pushed his face forward, forcing Harry to deepen the kiss, which soon evolved into a series of short, hot kisses as Harry thrust forward and up into Draco's body. The stool wobbled precariously and Harry traced a hand to the back of Draco's knee and pulled it toward him and upward dislodging Draco's lock around his waist as he placed a foot up onto the footrest of the stool to keep it steady. He slowly slid his hand up the thigh to hold it in place so that every time he pulled out his cock dragged along the bundle of nerves and when Draco reacted, his grip on Harry's cock turned positively lethal.

Harry growled and bit down on Draco's shoulder waiting with a saint's patience for Draco's grip to relent before fucking his lover faster and harder, a complete contrast to his actions earlier in the bedroom. Draco just gasped and took in sharp breaths, arching against Harry's chest and meeting Harry's thrusts harder, trying to get even more of Harry's inside him and feeling his climax dawning dangerously close. When he finally came, he clung tightly to Harry, using his grip as leverage to grind down as he rode out his orgasm. A few hard thrusts later, Harry came hard thrusting and emptying himself inside his fiancé, grinding into his tight heat. As they recovered, shivering from the cooling sweat on their bodies in the cool kitchen, Harry pulled his softening cock from Draco's arse and let his hands run along Draco's thighs as they unwrapped themselves from his waist.

Harry settled his forehead against Draco's temple. "I love you, Draco."

Draco looked across at him, his breathing now settling down and smiled. "I love you too."

Harry grinned at him as Draco grabbed his wand performing a quick cleaning spell on them both before hopping down from the stool. He held his arm as he swayed slightly on unsteady legs swearing creatively as his feet hit the cold tile floor. They moved quickly to the soft carpet of the entrance hall, Harry snagging Draco's underwear from where it hung on the handle of a drawer near the entering archway of the kitchen. As he wrapped his arms around Draco's form from behind, he sighed into his hair sure he'd never felt so happy.

As he walked up the stairs, though, he stopped. "Oh shit." He turned to Draco who was watching him from a step above.

"What?" At Harry's grave face he fully turned and stepped down. "What, Harry, what's wrong?"

"I just remembered something." He looked down at the ring on Draco's finger. "Draco."

Draco followed his line of sight and looked up at him confused. "I don't get it." Then he sobered "You haven't changed your mind again have you?" he asked, his voice taking on the quality of stone.

Harry shook his head. "No, no never it's just..."

Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "Just _what, _Harry?"

Harry sighed. "Narcissa is going to be my mother in law." Draco stood staring at him for a minute before his face creased into laughter and his arms uncrossed. He shook his head and walked up the stairs.

"Well look on the bright side."

Harry scowled. "There is no bright side to that." He took a halting step.

Draco turned to his newly-claimed fiancé. "Imagine the look on her face when you tell her," he said and continued up the stairs to their bedroom laughing all the while. Harry thought about it a little before walking up the stairs imagining all the faces Narcissa could make once she found out her only son was marrying him. By the time he reached the bedroom door he was grinning like a mad man. The best scenario he had thought up was Narcissa passing out in the ceremony, the last words she could hear being her son saying, "I do."

¬ fin ¬


End file.
